The United Nations special envoy to Somalia calls the deadly truck bombing in the capital "revolting" and says an unprecedented number of civilians have been killed.

A statement from Michael Keating says: "I am shocked and appalled by the number of lives that were lost in the bombings and the scale of destruction they caused." Saturday's blast struck a densely populated neighborhood of Mogadishu.

Keating says the UN and African Union are supporting the Somali government's response with "logistical support, medical supplies and expertise."

The US Africa Command says U.S. forces have not been asked to provide aid following Saturday's deadly attack in Somalia's capital.

A US Africa Command spokesman tells The Associated Press that first responders and local enforcement would handle the response and "the US would offer assistance if and when a request was made."

A Somali senator says the death toll from the massive truck bomb blast in Mogadishu has risen to 231, with 275 people injured.

It is the deadliest ever attack in the Horn of Africa nation.

Angry protesters have taken to the streets in Somalia's capital a day after a massive truck bomb.

The protesters who gathered at the scene of the blast are chanting against the attack, the deadliest ever in the Horn of Africa nation.

The government has blamed the Somalia-based al-Shabab extremist group for what it calls a "national disaster." Al-Shabab has not commented but often targets Mogadishu with bombings.

Many of the bodies in hospital mortuaries are yet to be identified.