Several killed as gunmen attack Tunisia tourist hotel

At least seven people have been killed after a tourist hotel near the Tunisian town of Sousse was attacked by gunmen, officials said.

Ongoing exchanges of gunfire were being reported between the attackers and security forces, sources told Al Jazeera.

The attack was on the Imperial Marhaba hotel, local radio said, according to the Reuters news agency. Other reports indicated that two hotels may have been attacked.

Al Jazeera’s Nazanine Moshiri, reporting from Tunis, said local reports indicated that gunmen may have specifically targeted tourists at the resort – but that the reports have not yet been confirmed.

There were no other details immediately available.

Tunisia has been on high alert since March when gunmen attacked the Bardo museum in Tunis, killing a group of foreign tourists in one of the worst attacks in a decade in the North African country.