At least 20 people were killed and 30 wounded when a suicide car bomb exploded outside a restaurant near the port in Somalia's capital Mogadishu late on Friday, according to Xinhua citing an emergency services official.

"Our team saw 20 bodies and took 30 injured people to hospitals," said Abdulkadir Abdirrahman, Aamin Ambulance director, warning the casualties could be higher as the blast caused the destruction of nearby buildings.

Police spokesperson Sadik Aden Ali earlier said the injured are mainly civilians.

The suicide bomber was targeting Lul Yemeni restaurant located near the seaport in Mogadishu and the blast has sent plumes of smoke into the sky and triggered gunfire, witnesses and state-owned media reported.

Al-Shababhas claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Somali National Army (SNA) backed by African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) drove al-Shabab out of Mogadishu in 2011, but the terror group is still capable of conducting attacks, targeting government installations, hotels, restaurants and public places.

(With input from Xinhua, Reuters)