At least 21 people were dead when terrorists armed with AK-47 rifles and grenades stormed a hotel packed with foreigners Friday in the former French colony of Mali.
One American was killed in the attack, a State Department official said.
United Nations Spokesman Olivier Salgado said 19 civilians and a Malian security official were killed during the siege. Two attackers were also killed, the spokesman said.
But as Malian Special forces and police searched the 190 rooms and suites at the Radisson Blu hotel for more bodies, officials warned the death toll could rise.
The government of Mali later declared a 10-day state of emergency and a three-day mourning period for those killed, according to Mali state television.
