Gunmen Open Fire at Sousse, Tunisia, Hotel; 27 Dead

Gunmen Open Fire at Sousse, Tunisia, Hotel; 27 Dead

SOUSSE, Tunisia, June 26 (UPI) — Gunmen attacked a hotel Friday in the resort town of Sousse, Tunisia, killing at least 27 people, interior officials said.

Officials said tourists were among those killed at the Imperial Marhaba hotel. At least one of the gunmen was also killed and a second was being pursued, the BBC reported.

Sources told Al Jazeera the gunmen exchanged fire with security forces before one man fled.

British tourist Gary Pine told Sky News he thought at first that “fire crackers” were going off at the hotel.

“There was a mass exodus off the beach,” he said. “My son was in the sea at the time and myself and my wife were shouting at him to get out and as he ran up he said ‘I’ve just saw someone get shot.'”