At least 32 people were killed and several others injured after a suicide bomber and gunmen targeted a popular beachfront location in the Somali capital, a police spokesman said on Saturday.

Abdifatah Adan Hassan said around 63 people are wounded, some of them critically.

Video footage showed a number of bodies and injured people in Mogadishu's Abdiaziz district.

Local media say the attack was carried out by al-Shabab militants who control large parts of southern and central Somalia.

The group is affiliated to al-Qaeda and has waged a brutal insurgency for nearly 20 years against the UN-backed government in Somalia.

One eyewitness told AFP news agency people were in a state of panic, as "it was hard to know what was happening because shooting started soon after the blast".

Abdilatif Ali said some people attempted to take cover on the ground, while others tried to flee the location.

"I saw wounded people at the beachside. People were screaming in panic and it was hard to notice who was dead and who was still alive," he added.

At least five people were responsible for the attack, as Mr Hasan said one attacker blew himself up while three others were killed.

One attacker was captured alive, the police spokesman told reporters in Mogadishu.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, chair of the African Union Commission, described the attack as "horrific" and "callous", sending his deepest condolences to those who lost loved ones in the deadly attack at Liido beach.

Abdulkhaliq Osman from Kalkaal hospital said several people were receiving care, with 11 being transferred to the operations unit due to their critical injuries, while some with smaller injuries being sent home after receiving medical attention.