‘Foreigner’ among seven killed in attack on Malian hotel

At least seven deaths, including a foreigner, have been recorded at a hotel in Sevare, a central Malian town, following the attack by suspected Islamist militants.

Diarran Kone, a lieutenant colonel and spokesman of the Malian army, said the militants were holding at least one foreign hostage.

“At this stage we can confirm there are dead and wounded on all sides, and hostages,” he said.

According to BBC, the hotel, which is currently under a hostage situation, is being surrounded by soldiers in an attempt to rescue the situation.

Residents told the BBC that before the attack, gunmen on motorbikes warned people via loudhailers to go indoors.

Some other residents said “a white man was seen lying dead on a street” near the Hotel Debo, about 9 miles from Mopti in Mali.

Military sources had earlier confirmed that guests from France, South Africa and Ukraine were registered at the hotel, but no confirmation has been made on their whereabouts.

The Byblos Hotel, scene of the ongoing incident, was reportedly attacked early on Friday morning by gunmen who had spent the night at the nearby Debo Hotel.

Reuters quoted Souleymane Dembele, military spokesman, as saying that an east European and three other personnel from the United Nations peacekeeping operation were believed to have escaped from the hotel.

Sevare houses an air force base with some UN peacekeepers resident there.