Gunmen Take Dozens Hostage at Radisson Hotel in Bamako, Mali

Story by NBC News
Written by Henry Austin and Corky Siemaszko

Grenade-throwing gunmen stormed a hotel packed with foreigners Friday in the former French colony of Mali, killing several people and taking dozens of guests and workers hostage.

Reports of the death toll varied. The Associated Press reported at least 18 bodies had been found so far, while Reuters cited a United Nations official saying 27 were dead.

A U.N. official told NBC News "we just don't know, the hotel hasn't been cleared yet. But we know there are fatalities."

Malian special forces were still battling gunmen holed-up on the top floors of the Radisson Blu hotel, Reuters reported.

But the six American staying in the sprawling pink and cream colored hotel in the capital Bamako got out alive, U.S. defense officials told NBC News.

The deadly drama began around 7 a.m. when invaders shouting "Allahu Akbar," or "God is great" in Arabic, burst inside and opened fire on the guards and quickly took dozens of captives, Mali army commander Modibo Nama Traore told The Associated Press.

In the chaos, many of the guests managed to escape, military officials told the AP. But scores of people fell into their clutches, the AP said.

"The hotel is locked down and there is no possibility to go out or come in," a spokesman for Carlson Rezidor, owners of the hotel, told NBC News.

An al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group claimed credit for the bloody attack, Reuters reported. NBC News could not immediately confirm that.

Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/gunmen-take-170-hostage-radisson-hotel-bamako-mali-n466831