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Uganda bombings kill 64, World Cup fans targeted

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-07-12 17:00

People carry a man, injured in an explosion, upon his arrival at the Mulago Hospital in Kampala July 12, 2010. [Agencies]

KAMPALA - Bomb blasts ripped through two bars packed with soccer fans watching the World Cup final in Uganda's capital overnight, killing 64 people and signalling a possible Somali Islamist link, police said on Monday.

One American was among those killed in the Kampala bombings on Sunday and US President Barack Obama, condemning what he called deplorable and cowardly attacks, said Washington was ready to help Uganda in hunting down those responsible.

Related readings:  2 bomb attacks in Uganda; 30 feared dead  Uganda blasts kill at least 64

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombings. Al Qaeda-inspired al Shabaab militants in Somalia have threatened to attack Uganda for sending peacekeeping troops to the country to prop up the government.

One bombing targeted the Ethiopian Village restaurant in the Kabalagala district, a popular night-life spot which was heaving with soccer fans and is popular with foreign visitors. The second attack struck a rugby club showing the match.

Twin coordinated attacks have been a hallmark of al Qaeda and groups linked to Osama bin Laden's militant network.

"Sixty-four are confirmed dead. Fifteen people at the Ethiopian Village and 49 at Lugogo Rugby Club. Seventy-one people are injured," said police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba.

She said 10 of the dead were either Ethiopian or Eritrean. Earlier, the US embassy in Kampala said one American was killed in the bomb blasts.

Revelling one minute in the closing moments of the final between Spain and Netherlands, the bombings left shocked survivors standing among corpses and scattered chairs.

"We were watching soccer here and then when there were three minutes to the end of the match an explosion came ... and it was so loud," witness Juma Seiko said at the rugby club.

Heavily armed police cordoned off both blast sites and searched the areas with sniffer dogs while dazed survivors helped pull the wounded away from the wreckage.

Police said it was possible those behind the attacks on the Ethiopian Village and the rugby club were targeting foreigners.