Kenyan students' bodies riddled with bullet wounds

A security expert on the scene in Garissa told News24 the bullet wounds on the bodies arriving at Garissa Hospital on Thursday morning indicated the level of aggression displayed by the Al Shabaab attackers.

So far at least 15 people have been confirmed dead in the attack, including four security personnel, according to hospital authorities.

Indiscriminate shooting

Up to ten bullet wounds means that the attackers were indiscriminate.

 

They simply shot at a moving target until it fell down, security expert Nelson Simiyu told News24 Kenyas Victor Tinto.

"It seems that they were also heavily armed and had artillery to last them a long time," he added.

The attack took place just before dawn as the militants targeted the university hostels, which house as many as 1 000 students.

It has not yet been confirmed how many students are among the dead, but a policeman who did not want to be named as he is not allowed to speak on behalf of the force said that of the 15 dead, 11 are students.

"They are just students. Boys and girls. It is a sad sight," he told News24.

It is also expected that the number of dead will rise much higher.

"The death toll will rise. There are several sections of the hostels yet to be accessed, he added.

Airlifted

Meanwhile, four critically injured people have been airlifted to Nairobi for specialised treatment. The injured, who had suffered gunshot injuries, were airlifted at 10:30 local time (09:30 SA time) to Nairobi.

Kenya Red Cross officials confirmed that the four needed urgent treatment and blood transfusions, and a decision was made to transport them to Nairobi.

The Red Cross also confirmed that there were likely more injured students who would need to be airlifted and that more helicopters were on the way to help the injured.

News24