Shootout inside Nairobi's Westgate centre 'kills five'

Police have been exchanging fire with gunmen
who stormed the Westgate centre - one of the
city's most exclusive shopping malls.
One witness said masked attackers threw
grenades into the building at about midday
local time (09:00 GMT).
Dozens of shoppers fled. At least four people
are wounded. A number of others are trapped
inside.
Nairobi police chief Benson
Kibue told AP news agency
that the gunmen had been
trying to rob a shop within
the mall when the shooting
began.
Dutch embassy employee Rob
Vandijk told AP that he had
been eating at a restaurant
in the centre when gunmen threw hand grenades
inside the building.
He said machine-gun fire then rang out, and
people dropped to the ground.
Shopping centre security guards used shopping
trolleys to wheel out several wounded children
and at least one man, AP reports.
"The gunmen tried to fire at my head but
missed. There are definitely many casualties,"
Sudjar Singh, who works at the shopping
centre, told AFP.
"I saw three of the attackers dressed in black
and with covered faces and they were carrying
heavy rifles," said another witness.
Security forces have surrounded the
shopping centre
Dozens of shoppers were given
assistance in evacuating the area
Children and families were taken to
safety after the shootings began
One Nairobi resident, Anupa, who lives near
the scene, told the BBC: "I heard the exchange
of fire when it happened, and I heard what I
thought was a grenade, but I didn't go
outside. The whole area is cordoned off."
Armed police took cover behind vehicles
outside. "We have officers at the scene trying
to get out the group shooting inside," a
police official told AFP news agency.
"Officers are approaching the situation with
caution because there are innocent civilians
inside," he said.
There are fears that there may be some
hostages, the NTV channel reports.
The Westgate centre is often frequented by
wealthy Kenyans and expatriates. Police have
urged residents to stay away from the area.

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