Serious At Least 27 Bodies At Mali Hostage Hotel

At least 27 people are feared dead after Islamist extremists with guns and grenades stormed a luxury hotel in Mali.

UN peacekeepers say they saw at least 27 bodies in the Radisson Blu hotel in the capital Bamako.

Wounded civilians were this evening being evacuated from the hotel, popular with airline staff, Western tourists and local dignitaries.

Some of the gunmen remain dug in on the upper floors of the hotel but they are no longer believed to be holding hostages.


State television showed footage of troops in camouflage fatigues wielding AK47s in the lobby of the hotel, one of the country's smartest.

Around 10 men armed with guns and grenades entered the hotel at around 7am local time.

They were shouting and screaming "Allahu Akbar", which means "God Is great" in Arabic.

Witnesses reported seeing some of the men approach the hotel in a car, wearing dark suits and sunglasses.

They opened fire on security guards before raiding the building.

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