EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES The aftermath of a suicide-bomb attack on a hotel in Mogadishu.

The Al Shabaab militants who struck then decamped to a nearby building - Somali soldiers surrounded it and haven't been able to dislodge them.

The militants shot at security forces who tried to get in to the Maka al-Mukarama hotel see if more dead or injured were inside.

Al Shabaab also said they still held the hotel on Friday (March 1) morning.

Somali police say scores are injured and fear the death toll will rise.

Frantic residents of the city spent the night trying to track down loved ones.

Running to and from hospitals; making countless phone calls.

Lawlessness and violence have convulsed Somalia since 1991.

Islamist group Al Shabaab, which is linked to Al Qaeda, is trying to bring down the Western-backed government.