The incident occurred in the popular beachside town of Grand-Bassam, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
A hotel in Grand Bassam is pictured in April 2015.
Sia Kambou / AFP / Getty Images
Gunmen attacked two hotels in a popular beach resort town in southeastern Ivory Coast on Sunday, the government said.
The incident happened in the tourist town of Grand-Bassam, a UNESCO World Heritage site located 25 miles from the city of Abidjan.
According to a statement shared by the government on social media, security services were on scene to monitor events and protect the public.
"We ask people to not panic and keep calm," the statement read, adding people should avoid Grand-Bassam.
According to the statement, there were at least 11 casualties, including five men, five women, and a child. However, the statement did not make clear if these people were injured or killed, and there were contradicting reports.
Unverified images circulating on social media purported to show several bloodied bodies lying motionless on the sand, and sources told Agence France-Presse at least five people had been killed.
The government's statement was widely picked up by French and international media, before it was subsequently deleted from official social media pages without explanation.
Josiane Sekongo, 25, told the Associated Press she ran outside of her home upon hearing shots ring out and saw people fleeing the beach.
Video shared on Facebook purported to show people fleeing the beach.
Witnesses and a correspondent told Radio France International a handgun was used to fire shots on the beach, as well as at the l'Etoile du Sud hotel.
Military vehicles carrying heavy machine guns were en route to the scene, RFI reported.
Alain Lobohnon, deputy mayor of the town of Fresco, which also sits on the country's Atlantic coastline, tweeted his country had "joined the list of victims of terrorism."
"We are in mourning," he wrote. "Together, we will overcome this tragedy."
In recent years, Ivory Coast's neighbors have been the victims of deadly terror attacks. More than 30 people were killed after al-Qaeda attacked a hotel in Burkina Faso in January, while Mali has also seen jihadists launch attacks on hotels, including one such incident in November which killed 22 people.
This is a developing news story. Check back for updates or follow BuzzFeed News on Twitter.
SOURCE: BuzzFeed
No comments:
Post a Comment