DHAKA: At least three hostages were killed following the attack on the Radisson Blu Hotel in the centre of Mali’s capital Bamako on Friday morning.

Malian Special Forces have been storming the hotel, reports the BBC.

At least seven Chinese people were staying at the hotel, according to Xinhua news agency.

Out of six Turkish Airline staff, three have been freed, reports the BBC, quoting Reuters.

Earlier, two people have “locked in” 140 guests and 30 employees in an ongoing hostage-taking, the hotel chain said in a statement on Friday, reports enca.com.

Automatic weapons fire could be heard from outside the 190-room hotel, where security forces have set up a security cordon.

Al Jazeera TV has identified the group holding a number of people in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Mali's capital, Bamako, as the "Ansar al-Din (supporters of religion)" group.

The channel's correspondent in Mali described Ansar al-Din as an "extremist military group that seeks to implement Islamic Sharia in Mali".

An attack on a restaurant in the capital of Mali in May saw four people killed, including two Malians, a citizen of France and a citizen of Belgium.

Besides, in August, gunmen killed 13 people, including five UN workers, during a hostage siege at a hotel in the central Malian town of Sevare.

BDST: 1747 HRS, NOV 20, 2015
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** 170 hostages taken in Radisson hotel in Mali