Friday 16 May 2014

Terror attack kills ten in Kenya as hundreds of Western tourists are evacuated under armed guard over safety fears

At least ten people are feared to have died during two bomb attacks in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.
The blasts, which are said to have taken place near Gikomba Market, come the week hundreds of Western tourists have been evacuated from the country due to increasing terror threats.
The country's National Disaster Operations Centre (NDOC) confirmed on Twitter that the first explosion came from a 14-seater matatu (minibus), and the second came from within the market.
Reports suggest that one suspect has been arrested as a result of the attack, which took place just four miles away from the Westgate Mall, where 67 people were killed by gunmen last September.
Fears: British tourists queue at Mombasa Airport in Kenya after a change in Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice prompted travel companies to bring them home
Fears: British tourists queue at Mombasa Airport in Kenya after a change in Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice prompted travel companies to bring them home

Jared Ojuk, Kenya's deputy police spokesman, said police suspected the blasts were caused by an improvised explosive device (IED).

The blasts came the same week authorities in the US and the UK issued renewed warnings about possible terror attacks.
A number of UK travel companies suspended holidays to the nation as tourists were watched in airports under armed guard before returning home.
Tour operators Thomson and First Choice are bringing holidaymakers home after a change in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) travel advice.
The two companies have cancelled all flights to the East African country until the end of October, while long-haul travel company Kuoni is, for the time being, not offering holidays to the Kenyan coast.
Earlier this month, a bomb attack at a bus station in the coastal city of Mombasa killed three people and injured around 16.
Another explosion also damaged a hotel in the city during rising tensions and a a recent spate of al-Shabab-linked incidents.
The US Embassy says that more than 100 people have been killed in shootings, grenade attacks and small bombs in Kenya over the past 18 months.
Protection: Armed guards waited as holidaymakers prepared to board a charter flight following a recent spate of terror attacks
Protection: Armed guards waited as holidaymakers prepared to board a charter flight following a recent spate of terror attacks

Around 100,000 Britons travel to the country every year, and many have been devastated by the change in circumstances.
Andy Coughlan was on 'a dream holiday' after with his wife Irene, 53, who was told she had gone into remission after suffering breast cancer.
'We’re absolutely devastated,' Mr Coughlan, 53, told The Daily Telegraph. 'Ren had been seriously ill for a long time and this was the first time after all the chemo that she was ready to travel.
'She said she wanted to wait for her hair to grow back. As soon as it did, we were on our way here.'
The couple from Swansea were staying at the luxury Diani beach and had only arrived in Kenya on Tuesday. Earlier this week the FCO changed its advice for Kenya to advise against all but essential travel to Mombasa island and within 3.1 miles of the coast from Mtwapa creek in the north to Tiwi in the south.
Kuoni said today: 'Although the advice does not include Moi International Airport, Diani beach or Malindi, the main road to access these resorts goes through the restricted area defined by the FCO advice.
'This means that we are no longer able to offer holidays to the Kenyan coast at present.'
The company added that it would contact all customers who were due to travel in the next seven days and this would continue on a rolling basis until the FCO advice changed.
Tour operators Thomson and First Choice have cancelled all flights to Kenya until the end of October as a result of the concerns
Tour operators Thomson and First Choice have cancelled all flights to Kenya until the end of October as a result of the concerns

Kuoni said that any customers travelling from the UK within the next seven days with an itinerary that included the coast were able to cancel free of charge or amend to an alternative destination with no administration fee but at the applicable cost.
The company went on: 'For any customers who are travelling to other parts of Kenya on safari or staying in a lodge and don't have Mombasa included in their itinerary, they will not be affected by the current FCO advice and holidays will continue as normal.'
Thomson and First Choice said they had been continuously monitoring the situation as it developed and have been working very closely with the FCO and follow its advice at all times.
The companies went on: 'As a result of the change in FCO advice, the decision has been taken to cancel all our outbound flights to Mombasa, Kenya, up to and including October 31.
Explosion: Three people were killed and 16 were injured in a bomb attack at a Mombasa bus station earlier this month. Officials have blamed al-Shabab for the incident+5
Explosion: Three people were killed and 16 were injured in a bomb attack at a Mombasa bus station earlier this month. Officials have blamed al-Shabab for the incident

'As a precautionary measure, we have also taken the decision to repatriate all customers currently on holiday in Kenya, including our Air Fare passengers, back to the UK on Thursday and Friday this week.'
According to reports, Thomson has about 400 customers in Kenya, including those in Mombasa and on safari.
The FCO advice reads: 'There is a high threat from terrorism, including kidnapping. The main threat comes from extremists linked to Al Shabaab, a militant group that has carried out attacks in Kenya in response to Kenya's military intervention in Somalia.
'There has been a spate of small-scale grenade, bomb and armed attacks in Nairobi (especially the area of Eastleigh), Mombasa, and North Eastern Province.
'You should take care in public places where people gather, and exercise a heightened level of vigilance.'
A spokeswoman for the FCO said: 'We estimate there are 5,000 British nationals resident along the coast and approximately 500 in Mombasa and surrounding area.'
Luxury: The coastal city of Mombasa is popular with British tourists, but many have had their dream holidays cut short
Luxury: The coastal city of Mombasa is popular with British tourists, but many have had their dream holidays cut short

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