The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday confirmed that there are 20 Indians among the hostages held by unknown gunmen at the Radisson hotel in Mali's capital Bamako.
MEA official spokesperson Vikas Swarup took to Twitter to share this information.
"#MaliAttack : Acc'g to current info there are 20 Indians staying in the hotel. Our Amb is continuously in touch with them & monitor'g sitn," he tweeted.
According to reports, unknown gunmen have held around 170 hostage at the Radisson Blu Hotel in the centre of Mali's capital, Bamako, with three hostages reported to have been killed.
A security source earlier today said that there was gunfire early in the morning, adding that it was an attempt to take hostages.
The police have arrived and sealed off the area.