Heavily armed gunmen today stormed into a a prestigious shopping mall in Westlands, Nairobi and shot at shoppers indiscriminately, killing some and injuring scores of others.
There were no official figures by 5.30 pm but the Red Cross and other sources indicated that the death toll had reached 20 while up to 50 others were rushed to local hospitals with serious injuries.
Police cordoned off the area from around 12 noon Kenyan time and were later joined by the army in an attempt to flash out the gunmen whose numbers were said by witnesses as between 10 and 18.
Rescuers including the security officials, the Red cross and others struggled for hours to evacuate those trapped in the building which during weekend host more than 1000 shoppers and revelers, some of them from high class neighbourhoods and employees of international organizations.
A bevy of journalists who camped at the scene for hours had restricted access to allow the security officers to carry out the rescue operation and flash out the gunmen.
By 6 pm, there was no indication that the gunmen had been subdued or that they had left the building although the police had gained access to the building and taken positions on the roof. Police and army helicopters hovered overhead to give support to the ground troops.
Little information was available on what kind of people the gunmen were but there were reports that among them was at least one woman and that at the point of entry into the building, they appeared intent on robbing some of the business premises.
The Government was due to address a press conference by late evening to give a comprehensive picture and information of what happened.
End//
There were no official figures by 5.30 pm but the Red Cross and other sources indicated that the death toll had reached 20 while up to 50 others were rushed to local hospitals with serious injuries.
Police cordoned off the area from around 12 noon Kenyan time and were later joined by the army in an attempt to flash out the gunmen whose numbers were said by witnesses as between 10 and 18.
Rescuers including the security officials, the Red cross and others struggled for hours to evacuate those trapped in the building which during weekend host more than 1000 shoppers and revelers, some of them from high class neighbourhoods and employees of international organizations.
A bevy of journalists who camped at the scene for hours had restricted access to allow the security officers to carry out the rescue operation and flash out the gunmen.
By 6 pm, there was no indication that the gunmen had been subdued or that they had left the building although the police had gained access to the building and taken positions on the roof. Police and army helicopters hovered overhead to give support to the ground troops.
Little information was available on what kind of people the gunmen were but there were reports that among them was at least one woman and that at the point of entry into the building, they appeared intent on robbing some of the business premises.
The Government was due to address a press conference by late evening to give a comprehensive picture and information of what happened.
End//
No comments:
Post a Comment