(Update 2: raises death toll)

Mogadishu, Feb 19 (EFE).- At least 35 people were killed and more than 40 were injured when a car bomb exploded at a market on the outskirts of the Somali capital Mogadishu, local police told EFE on Sunday.

The blast, allegedly carried out by the Somali militant group al-Shabab, struck a crowd of people who had gathered for a popular market in the Wadajir district of Mogadishu.

"A big explosion at Wadajir District, #Mogadishu where Shabab #terrorists exploded a car with heavy explosives, & Somali Security investigates," said the Somali police on Twitter.

Dozens of wounded people were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment and the severity of the injuries suggested the death toll may yet rise.

Al-Shabab had yet to claim the attack.

It was the first attack of this scale since the new President Mohamed Abdullahi "Farmajo" assumed office on Feb. 16.

On the day of Farmajo's inauguration two children were killed by a mortar shell fired by al-Shabab towards the presidential palace, where the ceremony was taking place.

The terror group has adopted a more direct attacking style in recent months, targeting military bases manned by Somali soldiers and troops from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

Hundreds of soldiers have died as a result of these attacks.

Furthermore, dozens of civilians have died in al-Shabab attacks against hotels and restaurants in the capital, Mogadishu.

According to the United Nations, the sustained efficacy of al-Shabab group in Somalia and its neighboring countries was being fueled by the persistent instability on the Horn of Africa.

The terror group, which is linked to al-Qaida in Somalia, seeks to establish an Islamic State in the region.