British, German and Belgians tourists are said to be among the 27 people killed in an attack on two popular beach resorts in the Tunisian town of Sousse on Friday, media reports said quoting interior ministry. The Islamic State (Isis) was quick to claim responsibility for the attacks, its third on Friday after its terrorists struck in France and Kuwait.
The ABC News reported that 27 people were killed in the terror attack at the resorts located in Al-Qantawi area in Sousse. Al Jazeera journalist Nazanine Moshiri said the gunmen, who were in police uniforms, specifically targeted tourists at the resorts.
Tunisia Live citing Ministry of Interior stated that British, German and Belgian tourists were among the dead. Independent. The Tunisian Ministry of Health stated there were 39 tourists who were injured, most of them are from United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium and Russia.
One of the gunmen, who was armed with a Kalashnikov was shot dead. It is now reported that the second gunman, who was on the run, has been captured. Images posted on social media show foreign tourists beating the captured gunman.
British tourist David Schofield told Sky News that he was by the pool when he heard "quite a large explosion".
"We heard people saying there were guns on the beach. People were shooting on the beach. People are running around the hotel. No one has really been told what to do," Schofield said.
Another tourist at El Mouradi Palm Marina beach resort tweeted that "gunshots were being fired on the beach".
Petr, a Russian tourist told Yahoo News UK he saw two women and one old dead while running out from his hotel.
Petr, who is from Moscow also took a picture and it on Instagram that shows a man in blue shorts lying in a pool of blood on the sandy beach.
A Twitter account affiliated to the Islamic State stated that two Isis "lions" opened fire at the guests, while another blew himself up at Imperial Marhaba hotel.
After terror attack majority of foreign tourists in Sousse have started leaving the city.
Tunisia has been on a high alert since March after gunmen affiliated to Isis attacked the Bardo Museum in Tunis, killing a group of foreign tourists in one of the worst attacks of the decade in the North African country.
Sousse also called Soussa, is a major tourist town located 140 kilometres, south of the capital Tunis and is popular among both Europeans and North African tourists.
The walled areas of the city is declared as world heritage site by UNESCO. The old city of Sousse also was featured in the 1981 movie - Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Tunisia Terror Attack Video
Robert Windscheffel @RWindscheffel
Thomas Cook's: "offering customers the opportunity to amend bookings to Tunisia free of charge for holidays departing upto July 24" #sousse
Matt Sterling @MSterling27
Terrorist attacks in #France, #Kuwait and #Tunisia in the same day, as IS calls for a "Ramadan of Terror"
Aziz Salim @PacificAziz
Some Idiots believe that by killing in the month of Ramadan they'd go 2Paradise.Terrorists r the worst beasts ever created! Sorry #Tunisia
haroon moghul @hsmoghul
If a Muslim commits evil in Ramadan, he cannot even blame it on Shaytan.
#Kuwait #France #Tunisia
Michael Horowitz @michaelh992
Initial reports (#Tunisia|n media) says 13 killed in terrorist attack in #Sousse
Gunshots on the beach, mass panic here. Confusion rife. (@ El Mouradi Palm Marina in Sousse, Gouvernorat de Sousse) https://t.co/PJEFK6jS6e
— Gary Pine (@garypine) June 26, 2015
AssetSource @AssetSourceApp
#Tunisia: Hotel attacked by gunmen in the Al-Qantawi resort area north of Sousse
euronews @euronews
#Tunisia: 7 deaths reported in attack on 2 tourist hotels in #Sousse
