UPDATED: 147 killed as Al-shabab attacks Kenyan university

One hundred and forty-seven students were killed and many held hostage when gunmen from militant group Al-Shabab, stormed Garissa University, in north-eastern Kenya, on Thursday.

The university, which is located 150 kilometers from the border of Kenya and Somalia, has a large population of Kenyan Somalis.

Collins Wetangula, vice chairman of the student union, said he was preparing to take a shower when he heard gunshots from a dormitory hosting both men and women.

“All I could hear were footsteps and gunshots, nobody was screaming because they thought this would lead the gunmen to know where they are,” he told Yahoo News.

Wetangula said the gunmen also came to his dormitory and he heard them open doors, asking the students they found if they were Christians or Muslims.

“If you were a Christian you were shot on the spot,” said Wetangula, who disclosed that he was taken to safety by the military.

“With each blast of the gun, I thought I was going to die.”

Joesph Boinnet,  inspector-general of police, confirmed the attack, saying security personnel are trying to gain control of the situation.

Reports say one of the militants has been killed and three out of the four dormitories of the university have been evacuated.

Al-Shabab has carried out attacks on Kenya since 2011, the deadliest being the attack on the Westgate shopping centre in September 2013 where 67 people were killed.