Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Gedi escaped unharmed in an explosion which killed three people on Sunday in Mogadishu, according to a witness in the unstable capital city of the Horn of Africa nation.

The blast occurred close to a convoy of vehicles carrying the premier from an airstrip to the center of the city after he arrived at the start of a visit to the lawless capital, said the witness, who sought anonymity.

"At least three people were killed and several wounded in today 's blast. The prime minister's well guarded convoy was traveling from a small airstrip near Mogadishu when one of the vehicles exploded on his way to south Mogadishu," he said.

"He came from Jowhar, the government's temporary headquarters and his visit to the capital was preannounced. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack and no word came from the prime minister's office so far," he added.

In May this year, seven people were killed and several injured when a bomb in Mogadishu's soccer stadium exploded 10 yards from where the prime minister was seated.

In late July, Somalia's transitional government was settled in the town of Jowhar, which has been serving as the war-torn country 's temporary capital.

Somalia has been without a stable government since clan-based warlords overthrew dictator Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991. The warlords then turned on each other, plunging the Horn of Africa country into chaos.

Source: Xinhua