4 gunmen storm popular Ivory Coast beach resort, 7 expats dead

voiceofreason

Senior News Editor since 2011
https://www.rt.com/news/335454-gunmen-resort-ivory-coast/

Gunmen storm popular Ivory Coast beach resort, 7 reported dead
Published time: 13 Mar, 2016 15:22
Edited time: 13 Mar, 2016 16:19

Gunmen have reportedly attacked the Ivory Coast beach resort of Grand-Bassam, which is popular with Westerners. Reports say there are casualties.

Two gunmen opened fire on a beach, injuring several people, a local tourist guide told France24. According to Reuters, there were four gunmen involved in the attack.

The assailants, who were "heavily armed and wearing balaclavas, fired at guests at the L'Etoile du Sud (Southern Star), a large hotel which was full of expats in the current heatwave," a witness told AFP.

At least seven people were killed in the attack,
according to a Reuters witness.

“I saw seven dead that I filmed. There were four attackers. I was swimming when it started and I ran away,” said the witness, who managed to shoot a video at the site.

A video reportedly shot at the scene and posted on Facebook shows people fleeing from the beach through the territory of one of the hotels.

Graphic images of people covered in blood and lying on a beach have been posted on social media.

The total number of casualties is still unclear.

The attackers were reportedly armed with machine guns and had a significant number of grenades, according to photos witnesses posted on Twitter.


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http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/14/w...-in-ivory-coast.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0

16 Killed in Terrorist Attack on Resort Hotels in Ivory Coast
MARCH 13, 2016


ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Gunmen stormed three resort hotels south of the capital here on Sunday afternoon in an attack that killed 16 people and pierced the calm that had prevailed in Ivory Coast in recent years.

The attack took place in Grand-Bassam, a popular seaside getaway for Ivorians and foreigners alike. Fourteen civilians and two soldiers were killed, according to a spokeswoman for the president, as well as six of the attackers.

A Qaeda affiliate, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying three of its “knights” had attacked the hotels.

Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault of France said a French citizen was killed. The United States Embassy in Ivory Coast said on its Twitter account that there was no evidence that American citizens had been targeted or harmed.
 
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