At Least 27 Dead as Gunmen Attack Tourist Resorts in Tunisia

Gunmen armed with Kalashnikovs killed at least 27 people Friday, mostly tourists, in an attack on on the beach at resort hotels in Tunisia, according to multiple media reports, citing the interior ministry. The gunmen opened fire on the beach between the Soviva and Imperial Marhaba hotels before security forces responded, killing one of the attackers, Interior Ministry spokesman Mohammed Ali Aroui said. The other attacker fled, he said. Sousse, a popular vacation spot for European tourists, is located about 90 miles southeast of the capital Tunis. "There was a mass exodus off the beach," British tourist Gary Pine told Sky News, adding that his son saw someone who got shot. He said guests at his hotel were first told to lock themselves in their rooms, and later to gather in the lobby. A British tourist, Alan Callaghan, told the BBC by phone that guests at his hotel were taking shelter in the quarters of the hotel's staff and were being told to wait for an all-clear. A British tourist tells Sky News that he was by the swimming pool when he heard "quite a large explosion" and guests began running back toward the hotel from the beach. Tunisian security forces have been on alert since March when two Tunisian gunmen opened fire on the Bardo museum in Tunis, killing 21 tourists and a policeman. The two gunmen were killed in the attack.