Gunmen attack Ivory Coast resort town, 12 people killed, several injured


At least !2 People killed including four Europeans were killed on Sunday when gunmen opened fire on beachgoers at a resort town in Ivory Coast, a officer from the national police said.

"For the moment, we have a total of 12 dead, including four Europeans ... We don't know yet if there are others. We are doing clean-up operations right now," the officer told security forces during a briefing attended by a Reuters reporter

The shooting took place at Grand Bassam, a weekend retreat for Abidjan residents about 40 km east of the commercial capital Abidjan. Its beaches, bars and hotels are popular with Westerners.


The gunmen were not identified and it was unclear if they were affiliated with any militant group. Security forces were called to the scene.

"I saw seven dead that I filmed. There were four attackers. I was swimming when it started and I ran away," said Dramane Kima, who showed the video of the bodies to Reuters.

He also took pictures of grenades and ammunition clips that he believed had been left behind by the attackers.

A Reuters witness saw two wounded people.

The incident took place nearly two months after Islamist fighters killed dozens of people in a hotel and cafe frequented by foreigners in neighbouring Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou, raising concern that the reach of militancy in West Africa was spreading.