UN4.07pm3.37pmworkingen11.55am GMTMalian state TV claims 80 of the 170 hostages have been freed,Conflict News reports, as witnesses and a police source confirm that special forces have entered the hotel. MORE: Reports from Mali state TV that 80 hostages have been freed from hotel in #Bamako. https://t.co/3jL1b8uiXcMalian special forces enter Bamako Radisson Blu where Islamist gunmen holding hostages -Witness #Mali #Bamako 11.48am GMTFive Turkish Airlines staff members – a station chief, and two pilots and two flight attendants – have been freed after being held hostage in the Radisson,writes Kareem Shaheen.
Two TK flight attendants remain inside the hotel, according to a Turkish government official. 11.42am GMTThe BBC reports that Guinean singer Sekouba Bambino was among those who escaped the attack on the hotel. It quotes him telling journalists:“I woke up with the sounds of gunshots and for me, or it was just small bandits who came in the hotel to claim something.
Parmi les otages relachés figure le chanteur guinéen Sékouba Bambino qui se trouvait à l'hôtel Radisson de Bamako. pic.twitter.com/cizG7OqJhASekouba Bambino sortant de l'hôtel Radisson ! pic.twitter.com/ObB1gXoOh4 11.34am GMTAt least seven Chinese tourist are caught up in the siege,according to the Xinhua state news agency. At least 7 Chinese tourists among #hostages in Bamako, #Mali. (Cell phone video filmed by one Chinese hostage) https://t.co/e6NEwS2z78 11.29am GMT A Malian military official has confirmed that at least three people are confirmed dead in the attack.
Lt. Col. Diarran Kone told The Associated Press that the deaths were confirmed after gunmen stormed the hotel 11.22am GMTIf you have been affected by the siege, and have friends and family who are,we want to hear from you. Share your accounts, photos and videos – or any news tips that you’d like to send direct to our journalists – with GuardianWitness. This is an ongoing situation so please don’t share information that might put you, or your contacts,in danger. Please mediate approximately your security first when recording and sharing your content. 11.18am GMTMamadou Tapily a Guardian fixer in Bamako is external the hotel where he says several ambulances and a convoy of UN vehicles has arrived. Military sources said three jihadis who stormed the building have been killed, but this cannot be confirmed, or he said. 11.02am GMTThe office of Malis president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta tweeted that he is returning to Bamako to deal with the hostage situation after attending a conference in Chad Le Pdt #IBK qui se trouve à N'Djaména au Tchad pour le sommet du G5 Sahel écourte son séjour pour regagner Bamako dans les prochaines heuresMALI | L'Hôtel #RadissonBlu de #Bamako attaquée ce matin par des assaillants armés qui prennent en otage 170 personnes #AttaqueRadisson 10.53am GMTBritains Foreign Office says it is aware of the situation” and is in touch with the authorities in Mali. We're aware of the situation in #Mali and are in close touch with the authorities following the attack on the #Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako. 10.50am GMTChina’s state news agency Xinhua has broadcast a 23 second video clip said to be filmed by one of the hostages. Cell phone video filmed by Chinese tourist taken hostage in Bamako,#Mali. The Chinese national is among 170 trapped https://t.co/0QSaS5wMSs 10.47am GMTThere are conflicting reports approximately the response of the security forces. AFP says they have stormed the hotel, citing a minister. But Reuters says that special forces are only “at the scene”, and with France providing logistic and intelligence support. #BREAKING: Mali security forces storming besieged Bamako hotel: minister 10.43am GMTAt least three people - two Malian and one French - were killed in the attack,a UN official told CNN.
The Guardian cannot confirm this report. 10.41am GMTYou can read our latest yarn on the attack here.
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Source: theguardian.com