NAIROBI, Kenya — Dozens of people remain missing one day after a deadly attack on a popular hotel complex in Nairobi, according to the Kenya Red Cross Society.

Tuesday’s attack started with car bombs before armed men invaded the DusitD2 hotel complex, which includes bars, restaurants, offices and banks.

A total of 94 people were reported missing in the immediate hours following the attack, the Red Cross Society said in a statement Wednesday. Although 44 cases were closed, the humanitarian organization said there are still 50 people who are unaccounted for.

Earlier in the day, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta vowed authorities would “pursue relentlessly” those involved in the funding, planning and execution of the attack.

In a televised address, Kenyatta said that “multiple security efforts are underway to detect, deter, disrupt and defeat any terrorist operative or group.” He added that all four militants who stormed the site had been killed by security forces.

“We’re grieving as a country and my heart and that of every Kenyan goes out to the innocent victims,” Kenyatta said. “We are also a nation that never forgets those who hurt our children.”

Sporadic gunfire could be heard from the scene in the morning after scores of people were rescued at daybreak as police continued what they called a mopping-up exercise.

Kenyatta said 14 civilians were confirmed dead. An earlier estimate had put the death toll at 15. He added that more than 700 people have been safely evacuated by rescue teams.

The Red Cross reported that at least 30 people were treated for injuries in hospitals and other health facilities.

Al-Shabab — the Somalia-based Islamic extremist group that is allied to al Qaeda — claimed responsibility for the carnage in a statement. However, that claim had not been verified by authorities.

The State Department confirmed to NBC News that a U.S. citizen was among the dead.

Officials did not release his identity, but his mother, Sarah Spindler, confirmed to NBC News that American victim was her son, Jason Spindler. She said the 40-year-old had been “trying to make positive change in the Third World in emerging markets.”

Kenyan police officers prepare enter the complex in Nairobi on Tuesday.Dai Kurokawa / EPA

“We all miss him so much. And it’s so sad that such a bright young person is taken away by terrorism,” Sarah Spindler added.

Spindler joined the Peace Corps after the Sept. 11 terror attacks and was a graduate of NYU Law and the University of Texas at Austin, and he was the recipient of grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Clinton Foundation, his mother said.

The U.K.’s Foreign Office confirmed Wednesday that a British-South African national was also among the dead.

A 2013 attack carried out by Al-Shabab at the nearby Westgate Mall in Nairobi that killed 67 people.

Like the attack at the Westgate Mall, this one appeared aimed at wealthy Kenyans and foreigners.

Al-Shabab has vowed retribution against Kenya for sending troops to Somalia to fight it since 2011.

The group has killed hundreds of people in Kenya. In the deadliest attack, al-Shabab claimed responsibility for an assault on Kenya’s Garissa University in 2015 that killed 147 people, mostly students. </s> Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta told the nation Wednesday that the suspected al-Shabab terrorist attack on a Nairobi hotel complex was over. But the Kenyan Red Cross said dozens of people remained missing. Some families spent hours looking for loved ones, only to find their worst fears confirmed. Mohammed Yusuf has more from Nairobi. </s> NAIROBI (Reuters) - Fifty people believed to have been in a Nairobi hotel complex when it was attacked by militants remained unaccounted for as of 3 p.m. (1200 GMT) Wednesday, the Kenya Red Cross said, hours after the country’s president said the deadly siege was over.

At least 14 people were killed and more than 700 evacuated from the dusitD2 complex, President Uhuru Kenyatta said. </s> Nairobi: Fifty people believed to have been in a Nairobi hotel complex when it was attacked by militants remained unaccounted for on Wednesday, the Kenya Red Cross said, hours after the country's president said the deadly siege was over.

President Uhuru Kenyatta said Kenya's security forces had killed the Islamic extremist gunmen whose assault on a luxury hotel and shopping complex took 14 "innocent lives".

"All the terrorists have been eliminated," President Uhuru Kenyatta said in announcing an end to the overnight operation to secure the complex in the capital, Nairobi.

In a televised address, Kenyatta did not say how many attackers were involved. He said more than 700 people were evacuated during the security operation and urged Kenyans to "go back to work without fear," saying the East African country is safe. </s> Nairobi. Twelve people have been killed in an overnight attack at Bishaaro Hotel in Mandera Town by suspected Al-Shabaab gunmen, police confirmed on Tuesday.

Mandera East police boss (OCPD) Ezekiel Singoe said the 12 included 10 who were visiting for set-book performances at schools in the county.

He said the 10 had arrived in Mandera on Monday to stage plays for Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam candidates.

The police boss said they were still identifying the bodies.

The attackers used improvised explosive devices to break the metallic doors at the lodge before shooting the 12 dead in their rooms.

Each room in the hotel accommodated four to six people.

Mandera County Police Commander Job Boronjo on Tuesday morning confirmed the attack but said police were yet to get more details about deaths or injuries as it was still dark in the area.

"We are monitoring the situation. My officers are on the ground. We will give the details when the day breaks," Mr Boronjo said from Garissa, where he was attending an official meeting.

Asked about the exact place of the attack, Mr Boronjo said by phone: "Lets not go into details for now please. Lets wait for update as the day breaks." </s> NAIROBI (Reuters) - A least one person was killed and four injured in an attack on Tuesday at an upscale hotel and office complex in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, a hospital official said.

The five patients were brought to M. P. Shah Hospital and one of them died, said Toseef Din, the facility’s chief operating officer. The Red Cross said four hospitals had received casualties. </s> An upscale complex in Kenya's capital is under attack, with a blast and heavy gunfire. 



Witnesses and police at the scene are calling it a terror attack.



The complex in Nairobi includes a large hotel known as DusitD2, banks and offices.



Several vehicles are burning and people are being rushed and carried from the scene.

Police spokesperson Charles Owino says that "we have sent officers to the scene, including from the anti-terrorism unit, but so far we have no more information."



Ambulances, security forces and firefighters have rushed to the scene, sirens wailing. A large group of women have been hurried out by security forces, one woman still in hair curlers.



What appears to be plainclothes security forces are seen inching their way toward the scene, guns in hand while helicopters can be heard. Other people appear to be taking cover behind fountains and other features in the lush outdoor complex.



The attack immediately reminds many Kenyans of the Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi in 2013, when al-Shabab extremists burst into the luxury shopping center, hurling grenades and starting a days-long siege that left 67 people dead. </s> Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta says the deadly attack and siege on a hotel and office complex in the capital Nairobi has ended.

In a nationally televised address Wednesday morning, President Kenyatta said 14 civilians had been killed in the attack on the DusitD2 complex, while 700 civilians had been rescued by security forces.

Kenyatta said all the "terrorists" who took part in the attack on the DusitD2 complex had been "eliminated."

The U.S. State Department confirmed late Tuesday that one American was among the dead, but has not identified the victim. A British citizen was also reportedly killed in the attack.

The Islamic extremist group al-Shabab is claiming responsibility for Tuesday's attack, which began in mid-afternoon with an explosion outside a bank and a suicide bombing in the hotel lobby.

Four gunmen could be seen on surveillance video walking through the parking lot with at least one stopping to open fire.

Terrified office and hotel workers and guests ran for cover, streaming from the buildings, climbing out of windows, ducking behind police vehicles and anything they could find while gunfire echoed off the walls.

Police found a sad and grisly scene inside one of the restaurants -- wounded and dead diners at their tables, slumped over unfinished meals.

​Other witnesses say they found human limbs lying on the ground.

Witness Duran Farah told VOA he and some colleagues were entering the complex at the time of the attack.

"A loud explosion happened at the gate. Next there was shooting, an exchange of fire, a lot of fire, and we see people rushing and running around in every direction," he said. He and his friends escaped by running down an alleyway.

The DusitD2 hotel and shops are in an upscale Nairobi neighborhood popular with American, European, and Indian tourists, although exactly who was targeted and why is unclear.

The militant Islamic al-Shabab staged several previous attacks in Kenya, including the September 2013 assault on Nairobi's Westgate Mall that left 67 dead.

VOA State Department correspondent Nike Ching, Somali service senior editor Harun Maruf, national security correspondent Jeff Seldin, Nairobi bureau chief Daniel Schearf, and reporter Mohammed Yusuf in Nairobi all contributed to this report. </s> An explosive device went off outside a cinema in a busy part of Kenya’s capital and injured two people, police said. One of those injured in the explosion in Nairobi Saturday was a handcart pusher who received a small piece of luggage from an individual who later fled.

The other was a newspaper vendor, said Philip Ndolo, police commander in charge of Nairobi. A manhunt was underway for the unidentified person reported to have deposited the luggage in a cart, Ndolo said.

Detectives think the luggage contained an improvised explosive device that went off, a police officer at the scene told The Associated Press. The officer spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to reporters.

The Kenya Red Cross said it sent emergency teams to the scene, which was sealed off by law enforcement officers.

The explosion happened two days after the US Embassy in Nairobi issued a security alert reminding the public about “the continued need for sustained vigilance in public spaces such as shopping malls, hotels, and places of worship”.

Kenya is recovering from a January 15 attack in which gunmen stormed a hotel complex and killed 21 people. The Islamic extremist group al-Shabab, which is based in neighbouring Somalia, claimed responsibility for the attack on the DusitD2 hotel and shopping complex.

Al-Shabab, which has ties with al-Qaida, has often targeted Kenya in retaliation over Kenya’s military involvement in Somalia. It also carried out the 2013 attack at Nairobi’s nearby Westgate Mall that killed 67 people, and an assault on Kenya’s Garissa University in 2015 that claimed 147 lives, mostly students. </s> NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The Latest on the attack on a hotel in Nairobi, Kenya (all times local):

Kenyan broadcaster NTV reports that more gunfire has been heard in the past half-hour at the scene of the attack on an upscale hotel complex in Nairobi.

The broadcaster says quiet has now returned, but the gunfire indicates that efforts to secure the complex might not be over.

The gunfire came little over an hour after Kenya's interior minister said all of the buildings affected by the attack had been secured and that security forces were in the final stages of mopping up the scene.

Somalia's government is expressing its "strong condemnation" of the deadly attack on an upscale hotel complex in Kenya's capital. The Somalia-based al-Shabab extremist group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Somalia's foreign ministry in a statement says the attack by at least four gunmen "once again reveals the hideous face of terrorism." The statement expresses its solidarity with those affected.

Al-Shabab has vowed retribution against Kenya for sending troops to Somalia since 2011. The al-Qaida-linked group has killed hundreds of people in Kenya.

Kenya's Citizen TV is airing what it calls surveillance footage that shows at least four attackers as they storm an upscale hotel complex in Nairobi.

Two of the gunmen are shown shooting in the direction of a car. Later the four attackers split up and go in different directions.

Kenyan authorities have not said how many attackers are involved and whether any remain at large. They have said the complex has now been secured.

Kenya's interior minister says all of the buildings affected by an extremist attack on a hotel complex in Nairobi have been secured and that security forces are in the final stages of mopping up the scene.

Fred Matiang'i says that "I would like to reiterate that the situation is under control and the country is safe."

He did not give a toll of dead or wounded. Witnesses have reported up to five bodies in the attack claimed by the Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab.

A State Department spokesperson says the United States condemns the "senseless act of violence" at an upscale hotel in Kenya's capital.

The spokesperson says the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi is closely monitoring the attack and working with Kenyan authorities to determine if any U.S. citizens are affected.

Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is condemning "the horrible terrorist act."

Authorities have not announced a death toll, but witnesses have reported up to five bodies in the attack claimed by the Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab.

Survivors of the deadly attack on a Nairobi hotel complex describe a shattering explosion and the bodies of people shot to death while sitting at a cafe.

Enoch Kibet, who works as a cleaner there, says: "We were changing our shifts and that is when I heard a loud blast and people were screaming." She crawled out of a gate in the basement.

She says that "I couldn't believe I was alive. The blast was so loud and shook the whole complex."

A waitress who only gave her first name, Lily, trembled as she described the attackers shooting people at the Secret Garden cafe and people lying on tables bleeding. She says that "these are terrorists and they need to be stopped because there are many people in this complex."

Associated Press video from inside a Nairobi hotel during an extremist attack shows Kenyan security officers anxiously searching the building and scared workers emerging from hiding places while gunfire is heard.

Some women climb out of windows. One man rises from the floor where he appeared to be trying to hide under a piece of wood paneling, then shows his ID badge.

"We do ourselves a favor, we clear what we can see," one officer says as they approach what appears to be a shattered entrance.

The footage shows officers searching luxury fashion displays and other areas while wounded people are hurried away on stretchers.

Kenya's national police chief says the coordinated attack on a Nairobi hotel began with an explosion that targeted three vehicles outside a bank while a suicide bomber blew up in the hotel lobby.

Joseph Boinnet says the lobby blast severely injured a number of hotel guests.

He says the operation against the attackers is "still ongoing" and various offices have been secured.

Authorities still have not released a death toll while witnesses have reported seeing up to five bodies.

A Somali diplomat says Somali officials were in a Nairobi hotel for meetings at the time it was attacked on Tuesday and several are feared to still be inside. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

The al-Shabab extremist group has claimed responsibility and said the attack started with a suicide bombing, with gunmen then storming the hotel.

A Kenyan intelligence official says the country had been on high alert since November with information about potential attacks on high-profile targets in Nairobi, but the extremists confused security officials by changing target locations. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

A witness to the attack on an upscale hotel complex in Kenya's capital says he saw five bodies.

The man who only gave his name as Ken said the bodies were at the hotel entrance. He says other people were shouting for help and "when we rushed back to try rescue them, gunshots started coming from upstairs and we had to duck because they were targeting us and we could see two guys shooting."

Separately, rescue workers say two of the people they rushed to a local hospital were dead on arrival. The rescue workers spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

Authorities have not yet released any figures on dead or wounded.

Some Kenyan hospitals are appealing for blood donations as the number of people wounded in an attack on an upscale hotel complex in Nairobi remains unknown.

Night has fallen and it is not immediately clear whether attackers are still active in the complex and how many people might be trapped or hiding inside.

The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group has claimed responsibility for the attack. It occurred a short distance from the Westgate Mall, which al-Shabab attacked in 2013, killing 67 people.

A Kenyan police officer who was among the first on the scene of the attack on an upscale hotel complex says "there was no time to count the dead but it is true that there are people who are dead."

The officer says some bodies were in restaurants downstairs and that colleagues saw others in offices upstairs.

The officer says blood and glass are all over and that gunfire continues. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

Kenya's national police chief says they are aware some attackers could still be inside an upscale Nairobi complex and that special forces are trying to flush them out.

Joseph Boinnet did not confirm any deaths and did not give a number of people injured in the attack in the Westlands neighborhood.

The police chief says they suspect this to be a "terror attack" and he urges people to remain calm. He says that police are looking forward to "bringing the situation to normalcy in the shortest time possible."

Kenyans are watching the police response closely after officers took hours to respond to a deadly attack on the nearly Westgate Mall in 2013.

The attack on an upscale hotel complex in Kenya's capital comes a day after a magistrate's court ruled that three men must stand trial on charges they were involved in a deadly attack on a Nairobi shopping mall in 2013.

The magistrate said Monday he was satisfied with prosecutors' evidence linking the three suspects to the days-long siege of Westgate Mall in which 67 people were killed. A fourth suspect was freed for lack of evidence.

The Somalia-based Islamic extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for that attack, and it has claimed responsibility for the one on Tuesday.

Police say they have detonated a car they said had explosives inside. The blast sent people at the scene of an attack on an upscale complex in Nairobi's capital ducking and screaming.

Officers have moved away from other vehicles they suspect of having explosives.

Other officers have been going shop to shop in the complex in the Westlands neighborhood. It is a short walk from Westgate Mall, which was the scene of a deadly extremist attack in 2013.

The Somalia-based extremist group al-Shaba has claimed responsibility for this attack.

A witness says he saw at least two bodies at the scene of an attack on an upscale hotel complex in Kenya's capital.

Robert Murire tells The Associated Press that he called emergency services.

He says he saw attackers wearing green and wrapped in ammunition. It was not clear how many people attacked. The Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab is claiming responsibility for the attack and said its members are still fighting inside.

Gunfire continues to be heard at the scene, sending some people ducking behind cars and screaming.

The Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab is claiming responsibility for the attack on an upscale hotel complex in Nairobi and says its members are still fighting inside.

The al-Qaida-linked group issued the claim via its radio arm, Andalus.

Explosions and gunfire have been heard at the complex in the Westlands neighborhood as dozens of people are rushed from the scene.

At least one person in bomb disposal gear can be seen. An unexploded grenade has been seen in a hallway of the shopping complex.

Civilians, including some women crying, ran away from the Nairobi hotel complex as sporadic gunfire was heard inside. One man escaping the attack, said he was hiding inside until he could run away. He said there was lots of shooting inside the complex.

An armored vehicle has arrived at the ongoing attack on the DusitD2 hotel complex in Nairobi's Westlands suburb on Riverside Drive. Police and army are at the scene. Plainclothes police are going from shop to shop to clear out trapped civilians who are running away from the complex.

As a car bomb smolders outside the gate, sporadic gunfire can be heard coming from the complex.

An upscale hotel complex in Kenya's capital is under attack, with a blast and heavy gunfire. Witnesses and police at the scene are calling it a terror attack.

The complex in Nairobi includes a large hotel known as DusitD2, banks and offices. Several vehicles are burning. People are being rushed and carried from the scene.

Gunfire continues several minutes after the first reports. Black smoke rises from the scene.

Police spokesman Charles Owino says that "we have sent officers to the scene, including from the anti-terrorism unit, but so far we have no more information."

Ambulances, security forces and firefighters have rushed to the scene, sirens wailing. A large group of women have been hurried out by security forces, one woman still in hair curlers.

What appear to be plainclothes security forces are seen inching their way toward the scene, guns in hand. Helicopters can be heard. Other people appear to be taking cover behind fountains and other features in the lush outdoor complex.

The attack immediately reminds many Kenyans of the Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi in 2013, when al-Shabab extremists burst into the luxury shopping center, hurling grenades and starting a days-long siege that left 67 people dead.
Dozens of people remain missing one day after a deadly attack on a popular hotel complex in Nairobi, according to the Kenya Red Cross Society.