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| In this image taken from video from AP Television, an armed policeman walks away near the Splendid Hotel, Friday, Jan. 15, 2016, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The SITE Intelligence Group reports that an al-Qaida affiliate is claiming responsibility for the ongoing siege on an upscale hotel and cafe in Burkina Faso's capital where an unknown number of hostages are being held. |
OUAGADOUGOU,
Burkina Faso (AP) -- Witnesses say the upscale hotel in Burkina
Faso's capital that has been attacked by al-Qaida militants has now
caught fire. The blaze began after commandos trying to free an unknown
number of hostages used explosives to enter the building.
Security
forces stormed the building more than five hours after it was attacked
by jihadists. A fire then broke out in the hall of the Splendid Hotel,
and the flames then began spreading inside and out.
Several
cars outside the hotel also were engulfed in flames after the attackers
set them on fire when they launched their assault.
It
was not immediately known how many people may have been killed during
the siege, though a survivor told hospital director Robert Sangare he
estimated the toll could be as high as 20.
