State House: Rescue operation underway at Westgate Shopping Mall, Nairobi

Security officers keep a crowd under
control outside the Westgate Mall.
[Photo: AP/Jason Straziuso
By Standard Reporter
NAIROBI; KENYA: Kenya State House
Spokesman Manoah Esipisu has said rescue
operation is underway with a few hostages
rescued.
Reports from the scene say more bodies
are being retrieved from mall and ferried
away in a pick up as death toll rises to 20.
Police officers have now surrounded the
building in an attempt to evacuate
remaining shoppers.
Esipisu pointed out that it was too early to
tell if the incident was a terrorist attack
adding that no foreign agencies have been
involved in the rescue operation.
The military marksmen have also joined the
police in the rescue operation.
The members of the media have been
barred from filming inside mall to enhance
security.
According to Red Cross, most nearby
hospitals are now full and causalities are
being taken to Nairobi Hospital and
Kenyatta National Hospital.
Dozens of ambulances have now been
allowed to access the rooftop area as
military armoured vehicles make way into
the mall.
So far the Kenya Defence Force has been
deployed at the mall to help guard the
security. The Kenya RedCross is asking the
public to donate blood to save dozens of
wounded victims.