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| Mali hotels 'come under attack' in Sevare | Mali hotels 'come under attack' in Sevare |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Gunmen on motorbikes have attacked at least two hotels in the central Malian town of Sevare, witnesses have told the BBC. | Gunmen on motorbikes have attacked at least two hotels in the central Malian town of Sevare, witnesses have told the BBC. |
| Residents are now hiding in their homes and it is not clear if there have been any casualties. | Residents are now hiding in their homes and it is not clear if there have been any casualties. |
| "We heard someone shouting into a loudhailer that everyone should go inside. Then we heard machine guns," one resident said. | "We heard someone shouting into a loudhailer that everyone should go inside. Then we heard machine guns," one resident said. |
| Sevare has an air force base and some UN peacekeepers are in the town. | Sevare has an air force base and some UN peacekeepers are in the town. |
| The BBC's Alex Duval Smith in Mali says the town, which is about 600km (370 miles) north-west of the capital, Bamako, is the trading hub that serves the historic riverside city of Mopti. | |
| Martine Latraye, owner of a small guesthouse in Sevare, told the BBC that the attack started at about 07:30 local time (07:30 GMT). | |
| Another resident, who did not want to be named, said the gunmen seemed to be targeting the air force base and the hotels. | |
| "Now the Malian army is here. The soldiers are surrounding the Byblos hotel but we don't know why," the resident said. | |
| "I have heard machine gunfire but also some much heavier artillery." |