Wednesday 23 / October / 2024
Two blasts shook the capital of the Ugandan capital Kampala on Tuesday, local witnesses said.
One of the explosions was close to the parliamentary building but appeared to be targeting another structure housing an insurance company.
The other explosion was heard outside of a police station.
Three people were killed and another 33 were injured, police spokesperson Fred Enanga told Ugandan NBS Television. He added that at least one of the explosions was from a suicide bomb.
"What we can say [is] this was an attack but who is responsible is a matter that is under investigation," Uganda's Assistant Inspector General of police Edward Ochom told AFP.
Large plumes of smoke
Videos shared on social media showed cars engulfed in flames, large plumes of smoke and debris scattered across the street.
Witnesses also reportedly saw lawmakers evacuating the area of the parliamentary building, national broadcaster UBC said.
Security forces have cordoned off both scenes and Tuesday's parliamentary session was called off.
Another video showed people running away from the scene of one of the blasts.
Warnings ahead of the attack
Emmanuel Ainebyoona, a spokesperson for the ministry of health, said on Twitter that a local hospital was "currently attending to about 24 causalities. Reports indicate four are in critical condition."
The cause of the explosions was not clear. But officials in the country have warned people to be vigilant in the wake of a series of bomb attacks in recent weeks.
Ugandan soldiers have been fighting against al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab forces in Somalia.
The Allied Democratic Forces, a group with connections to the so-called "Islamic State," claimed responsibility for an attack that killed one and injured several others at a restaurant in Kampala on October 23.
