The death toll from a truck bomb that exploded near to a hotel and market in Mogadishu rose to 276 on Sunday, making it the worst terrorist atrocity in the country's history.

Saturday's savage attack targeted a busy street close to several important ministries in Somalia's capital. Officials say about 300 people were wounded.

"This is the deadliest attack ever," police official Ibrahim Mohamed told AFP.

"It is very difficult to get a precise number because the dead bodies were taken to different medical centres and some of them [were taken] directly by their relatives for burial."

Most of the bodies in have been burnt beyond recognition, and police are braced for the number to rise due to the severity of the injuries sustained in the blast, which is the Horn Of Africa's deadliest single attack.