NAIROBI, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- The UN humanitarian agency on Tuesday condemned the attacks on a UN rented vehicle in Marka, about 100 km southwest of the Somali capital city of Mogadishu which injured two UN aid workers and killed the driver.

    A statement issued by Graham Farmer, acting UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, in Nairobi said two UN personnel, an Italian and a Somali national, riding in the vehiclewere slightly wounded.

    The statement said the duo were treated at the local hospital and will be taken to Nairobi "at the earliest possible time."

    "Last night, around six o'clock in the evening, a UN rented vehicle was hit by an explosion while traveling along the road from the Marka airstrip to Marka town," the statement said.

    The incident took place about four km outside of Marka and the UN said it is still too soon to determine the exact nature of the explosion.

    "Pending a full and thorough investigation of the incident, theUN will temporarily relocate some of its staff from Marka," said Farmer.

    "The primary concern of the United Nations right now is the safety and security of the staff on the ground and we are very grateful to the local authorities for their proactive support in responding to this incident," said Farmer.

    "Once we have a clear understanding of exactly what happened and why, we can focus on preventing any interruption of life-saving assistance."

    Marka is located about 100 km southwest of Mogadishu and is an important logistical hub for UN operations. There are six United Nations agencies present in Marka with approximately 50 personnel.

    The attack came as the humanitarian situation in Somalia is continuing to deteriorate as the number of people in urgent need of food and other humanitarian assistance is now stands at 3.2 million.

    This is an increase of 77 percent since the beginning of 2008, representing approximately 43 percent of the total population.

    The death toll of aid-related workers in Somalia since January is 23, with 25 others kidnapped, and 12 remain in captivity inside the country.