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At least 270 people have been killed and wounded after a car bomb attack on Saturday outside a hotel in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, police said, with officials fearing many casualties from the unusually large explosion.

"We know that at least 20 civilians are dead while dozens of others are wounded," Abdullahi Nur, a police officer who was in the area, told Reuters news agency.

"The death toll will surely rise. We are still busy transporting casualties," he said, adding that there were bodies under the rubble.

Nur's statement came shortly after the bomb blast and since then, more than 250 additional people have been confirmed dead.

"The fighters first detonated a bomb outside the hotel's gate, and then about four gunmen on foot gained entry into the hotel and started shooting at the patrons and also the security of the hotel," Al Jazeera's Mohammed Adow, reporting from Doha, said.

"The hotel's security staff, together with the police, are engaging a gunfight inside and outside the hotel," he added.

Muhidin Ali, a Mogadishu resident who was close by at the time said it was, "the biggest blast I have ever witnessed, it destroyed the whole area".

Abdi Dhaqane, who was also close to the site of the explosion, agreed.

"I have never witnessed a scene like this ever before," he said. "All the buildings around here have collapsed. There were close to 200 people in those buildings. I hope everyone is OK."