Scores of football fans watching the World Cup final were massacred when two suspected Al Qaeda linked bombs ripped apart a restaurant and sports club.
At least 64 people died in the simultaneous attacks in the Ugandan capital Kampala which were believed to be the work of Somalian Muslim extremists.
The deadliest was a suspected suicide blast at a rugby club where hundreds caught the Spain-Holland clash on an outdoor big screen.
The explosion killed 49 people, while 15 people died at an Ethiopian restaurant where three American citizens were wounded.
The venues are popular with expatriates and came just days after militant leaders called on terrorists to attack Uganda and Burundi in response to those African nations providing troops to U.N. peacekeeping forces.
Kris Sledge, 18, of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, was with members of a church groupm when the bomb exploded.
'I remember blacking out, hearing people screaming and running,' Mr Sledge said from hospital, where he was recovering from burns to his face.
'I love the place here but I'm wondering why this happened and who did this. At this point we're just glad to be alive.'
One American was killed in the bombings, the U.S Embassy in Kampala confirmed.
Kampala's police chief said he believed Somalia's most feared militant group, al-Shabab, could be responsible for the attacks which took place at venues seven miles apart.
In Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, Sheik Yusuf Sheik Issa, an al-Shabab commander, said he was happy with the attacks in Uganda but refused to confirm or deny that al-Shabab was responsible.
During weekly Friday prayers in Somalia two days before the double bombing, another al-Shabab commander, Sheik Muktar Robow, called for militants to bring terror to the group's 'enemies'.
He urged followers to attack sites in Uganda and Burundi - two nations that contribute troops to the African Union peacekeeping force in Mogadishu.
In addition to its troops in Mogadishu, Uganda also hosts Somali soldiers trained in U.S. and European-backed programmes.
White House spokesman Tommy Vietor immediately condemned the bombings and said the U.S. was prepared to provide any necessary assistance to the Ugandan government.
Aftermath: Ugandan policemen stand guard at the entrance of the rugby club where one of the attacks took place. In the background white seats are visible where fans had gathered to watch the game
'The president is deeply saddened by the loss of life resulting from these deplorable and cowardly attacks, and sends his condolences to the people of Uganda and the loved ones of those who have been killed or injured,' Mr Vietor said.
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