Terror Update: 3 Women rescued, more holed up inside Wetgate Mall

By Cyrus Ombati

Three women were rescued from the ill-fated Westgate Shopping Mall Sunday morning from the building still taken hostage by terror attackers for the second day.

The three were lucky to leave unscathed after taking cover inside the building overnight.

One of the survivors identified as Cecily Ndwiga said she survived by lying under a car at the basement parking overnight. “There are still many hostages inside the Mall” she said as she clutched one shoe on her hand.

“I am lucky to be alive... my phone never went dead and I kept communicating with family members in the wake of the tragedy,” she said before being whisked away by her employer.

She looked traumatized and visibly shaken after the ordeal that she went through for over 22 hours at the hands of the terror attackers.

A second survivor identified as Jepkorir narrated how she prayed overnight and kept communicating with family and security officers who came to her help later on. She had locked herself inside an office.

"Bullets were being fired over my head and it is my faith in God which helped me. I am lucky to be alive," she said after her night-long terror."

The gunmen started firing shots from inside the building Sunday morning as Kenya deployed more specialized forces in a bid to rescue more hostages still holed up in the building. It was not immediately clear how many more people were still being held hostage after the terror gang went on a shooting rampage killing children, men and women.

By 10am Kenyan time there were still gun shots being fired by the attackers as security forces responded.

Security officers have sealed off the building and kept the media and members of the public at a distance of about 500 metres from the scene as rescue operations were continued.