UPDATE: At least 27 people have died after terrorists stormed the Radisson Blu hotel on Friday. According to the Associated Press, at least six Americans have been evacuated and are now safe following a counterattack by the U.N. Per CNN, it is reported that seven Algerians have been freed.
ORIGINAL STORY: At least two gunmen stormed a Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, the capital of Mali, on the morning of Friday, Nov. 20, taking 170 hostages, multiple news outlets, including the New York Times, report.
The manager of the hotel told the NYT that there were indications that the hostage takers were releasing Muslims and continuing to hold non-Muslims.
Colonel Major Salif Traoré, the minister of security and civil protection, said the military had evacuated around 30 people from the hotel and taken them to a gymnasium nearby. Another witness said soldiers could be seen roaming inside the hotel and on the roof.
The hotel in Bamako is a popular place for foreigners who are visiting the former French colony to stay, and both French and American citizens are reported to be among those taken hostage.
This is a developing story.
