An ambulance service official said at least 20 were killed and 30 others wounded in a car bomb explosion outside a restaurant near the port in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, late Friday.

Witnesses and official media said that a shooting followed the explosion, which covered the area with a cloud of smoke.

"So far, we have transported 20 dead and 30 injured people from the site of the explosion," said Dr. Abdul Qadir Adan of the Ameen Ambulance Service Corporation.

Witnesses said that the explosion took place at a Yemeni restaurant near the port.

A local resident, Ahmed Abdullah, said that a speeding car exploded at the restaurant.

"I was going to the restaurant, but I returned quickly when the explosion occurred and covered the area with smoke," he added.

The official Mogadishu Radio stated that the explosion also resulted in property losses and that the police cordoned off the area.

No one has claimed responsibility for the explosion, but the Al-Jazeera correspondent reported that the Somali police accused Al-Shabab of being behind the attack.

The Islamic Youth Movement carried out similar attacks in Somalia and other regions as part of its campaign to overthrow the government in the Horn of Africa country.