13 people have been confirmed dead following a huge bomb explosion at a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack in what is being described as one of the worst the capital has seen.

The group says the attack is a response to aggression by African union forces and the Somali government.

The Jazeera Hotel accommodates several embassies including those of China, Qatar and Egypt.