At least 14 people were dead after gunmen stormed a popular Ivory Coast beach resort Sunday frequented by Westeers, President Alassane Ouattara said.
"Six attackers came onto the beach in Bassam this afteoon... We have 14 civilians and two special forces soldiers who were unfortunately killed," Ouattara said, according to Reuters.
The six attackers were also killed, Ouattara said, though the gunmen were not identified and it was unclear if they were with a militant group.
At least one French person died in the attack, a French Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Reuters.
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Gunfire was reported in Grand-Bassam. (AP)
The attackers, who were "heavily armed and wearing balaclavas, fired at guests at the Etoile du Sud, a large hotel which was full of expats in the current heatwave," a witness told AFP.
Marcel Guy said he saw at least four gunmen with Kalashnikov rifles on the beach. He said one approached two children, and spoke in Arabic. One child knelt and prayed, the other child was shot dead.
"I was swimming when it started and I ran away," said Dramane Kima, who showed video of the caage to Reuters. He also took pictures of grenades and ammunition clips he believed were left behind by the gunmen.
Jacques Able, who identified himself as the owner of Etoile du Sud said one person had been killed at the hotel.
A receptionist at Etoile du Sud hotel said the attacks happened on the beach.
"We don't know where they came from, and we don't know where they've gone," he said of the gunmen.
Security forces and members of the Ivorian Red Cross were clearing the bodies.
Josiane Sekongo, who lives across from one of the town's many beachfront hotels, said she ran outside when she heard the gunfire and saw people ruing away from the beach. Sekongo, 25, said residents were hiding in their homes as security forces responded.
Attacks by Islamists on hotels frequented by foreigners in two other West African countries, Mali in November and Burkina Faso in January, killed dozens of people and indicated that extremist attacks are spreading from North Africa.
Grand-Bassam, which was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, is known for its colonial buildings. The U.S. embassy is located about 45 minutes away from Grand-Bassam.
An American embassy delegation was in Grand-Bassam on Sunday but the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan said it is monitoring the situation in Grand-Bassam and there is no evidence that U.S. citizens were targeted nor confirmed reports of any U.S citizens harmed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.