At least 12 people were killed Sunday after gunmen opened fire at a beach resort in Ivory Coast and took terrified tourists and staff members hostage in a hotel.
The gunfire erupted near the Hotel Etoile du Sud in Grand-Bassam, a popular tourist attraction, according to The Guardian.
Witnesses told AFP that two to four gunmen, heavily armed and wearing balaclavas, yelled "Allahu Akbar" as they opened fire on sunbathers. Several social media users tweeted footage of bloody bodies on the beach and tourists running through the resort for safety.
The attack is believed to be ongoing, with the gunmen reportedly taking people hostage inside the hotel.
Security forces rushed to the scene and evacuated the beach.
It's unclear who is behind the attack.
France had warned Ivory Coast at the beginning of 2016 that Islamic militants were planning an attack there, likely at a beach, according to Bloomberg. The warning came after extremists killed dozens in hotel attacks in two other West African countries — Mali, in November, and Burkina Faso, in January.
The U.S. Embassy in Abidjan said there is no evidence that American citizens were harmed or targeted in the Sunday slaughter.
The gunfire erupted near the Hotel Etoile du Sud in Grand-Bassam, a popular tourist attraction, according to The Guardian.
Witnesses told AFP that two to four gunmen, heavily armed and wearing balaclavas, yelled "Allahu Akbar" as they opened fire on sunbathers. Several social media users tweeted footage of bloody bodies on the beach and tourists running through the resort for safety.
The attack is believed to be ongoing, with the gunmen reportedly taking people hostage inside the hotel.
Security forces rushed to the scene and evacuated the beach.
It's unclear who is behind the attack.
France had warned Ivory Coast at the beginning of 2016 that Islamic militants were planning an attack there, likely at a beach, according to Bloomberg. The warning came after extremists killed dozens in hotel attacks in two other West African countries — Mali, in November, and Burkina Faso, in January.
The U.S. Embassy in Abidjan said there is no evidence that American citizens were harmed or targeted in the Sunday slaughter.
