Hotel comes under attack in central Mali, 1 dead

Gunmen have stormed a hotel in central Mali, killing one person and prompting Malian Army forces to be called to the scene of the attack.

The army has surrounded the Byblos hotel in the town of Sevare, located more than 600 kilometers (370 miles) north of the Malian capital, Bamako.

The Friday attack is suspected to be an attempt to kidnap Western hotel guests. Registered at the hotel were at least five foreigners – three South Africans, a French national, and a Ukrainian.

“The Fama (Malian armed forces) have sealed off the area… and the operation is still going on,” one military source said. “The army is trying to find (the attackers) and remove them,” a Mali army official told AFP from Bamako.