Six bodies removed from buildings near Nairobi hotel attack -witnesses

Medics have removed four dead bodies from buildings near a hotel that was attacked on Tuesday, witnesses told Reuters, bringing the toll to at least seven. One of the witnesses said he saw the bodies of four people in body bags in an apartment at ICEA building before they were removed by ambulance. A medic said two more body bags were removed from another location nearby. One person died earlier at a hospital.

Extremists launched a deadly attack on a luxury hotel in Kenya's capital Tuesday, sending people fleeing in panic as explosions and heavy gunfire reverberated through the complex. A witness said he saw five bodies at the hotel entrance alone.

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

Al-Shabab - the Somalia-based Islamic extremist group that carried out the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi that left 67 people dead - claimed responsibility.