Mali's special forces early today rescued four people who hid in a hotel for nearly 24 hours after Islamic extremists stormed the building and launched a rare attack far from their northern strongholds that killed nine people, officials said.
Three attackers were also killed in the fighting.
The four rescued UN employees are two South Africans, a Russian and a Ukrainian, said UN mission in Mali spokeswoman Radhia Achouri.
"Our contractors survived because at no time was their presence discovered by the terrorists in the hotel," she said adding there was not much resistance Saturday morning during the rescue. The four will soon go to Bamako, the capital, she said.
Additional UN personnel may still be missing, said a UN official not authorized to speak to the press on the matter. Some personnel could not be reached, and some of the attackers left Sevare after the initial attacks Friday morning, the official said.
The Russian former hostage is "alive and well," Viktor Gorelov, spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Bamako, told the Interfax news agency. The state news agency Tass said he worked for the Russian airline UTair.
A South African charity worker was at the hotel at the time of the attack but was unharmed, Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of South African charity Gift of the Givers, told South African media.
Islamic extremists started the attack Friday at the Hotel Byblos in Sevare, about 600 kilometers (375 miles) northeast of the capital, Bamako.
Mali's army surrounded the hotel and fighting went into the night Friday. Mali's special forces were transported to Sevare from Bamako early Saturday and launched an operation to rescue the people inside the hotel. It is unclear how many fighters were involved.
After the operation four additional bodies were found in the hotel, including three hotel staff and one jihadi, said Lt. Col. Diarran Kone. Officials had earlier announced that five Malian soldiers were killed, two jihadis and a UN contractor, bringing the total death toll to 12.
