Hiiraan Online
Tuesday October 17, 2017
"The Toronto sign will be lit in the colours of Somalia’s flag today in
memory of the innocent victims of terrorism in Mogadishu. Our thoughts
are with Somalia," announced Toronto mayor, John Tory. PHOTO: TWITTER
Mogadishu (HOL) - Paris and Toronto have both paid tribute to the victims of Saturday's horrific terror attack in Mogadishu in two unique ways.
The lights of the Eiffel Tower - one of the most iconic and recognizable landmarks in the world - were switched off on Monday evening in solidarity with the 300+ people killed in the country's deadliest terror attack.
The tower's official Twitter account announced: "I will turn myself off at midnight to pay homage to the victims of the Mogadishu attack." Normally the Paris monument stays lit later into the night.
The Eiffel tower lights are routinely switched off to honour the victims of extremist attacks around the world. Similar acts of solidarity were shown for London, Barcelona, Tehran, Orlando, Brussels, St Petersburg, Quebec City, Manchester and Kabul.
Meanwhile, John Tory, the Mayor of Canada's largest city, announced that the 'Toronto' sign would be lit in the colours of the Somali flag on Monday evening in a similar act of tribute.
By the latest count, officials say more than 300 people have perished when a truck teeming with explosives was detonated at a busy intersection in Somalia’s capital Saturday afternoon. The deafening blast - the loudest ever, by many accounts - blew up entire buses, levelled homes and burnt bodies beyond recognition.
Overwhelmed and understaffed hospitals in Mogadishu are struggling to assist the badly wounded.
The first Turkish military plane carrying 35 injured people arrived in the capital, Ankara. According to Turkish officials, 13 of the victims are in serious condition and three are children.
Somalia's government has placed the blame squarely on the militant insurgency group despite Al-Shabaab not yet claiming responsibility for the attack. The attack bears all the hallmarks of the Al-Qaeda linked group who has frequently used truck bombs detonated by a driver as a weapon against both civilian and government installations in the past.