Tunisia hotel attack: at least five Britons among 37 dead

• At least 37 killed at Tunisian beach resort Sousse
• Five Britons among the dead, according to Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond
• Tunisians, Germans and Belgians are also among the dead.
• One gunman also killed
• No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack

Mr Hammond warned that the death toll could rise and said a “high proportion” of the casualties were expected to be British “because of the nature of the resort”.

Eyewitness Gary Pine told Channel 4 News that mass confusion broke out on the beach in Sousse as bullets whizzed through the air.

Casualties have been reported and pictures have emerged showing bodies lying near sun loungers on the beach. A spokesman for Tunisia’s Interior Ministry said at least 28 people had been killed, including foreigners and one gunman.

Tunisia’s health ministry said the fatalities included Belgians, Britons, Germans and Tunisians. An Irish woman is understood to be among the 28 victims, an Irish government source has said.

A security source said the gunman was armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle. It was unclear whether there were other assailants.

‘Shot on the beach’

Mr Pine said his son was in the sea when the shooting broke out, and saw “quite clearly someone get shot on the beach about 150 yards from us”.

“There was, I’d estimate, 30 or 40 shots at least that were fired,” Mr Pine said. “As I, stupidly in hindsight, I went back down the beach to pick up my bags and you could hear bullets whizzing through the air… I was happy to get off that beach, as you’d imagine.”

The Foreign Office has said it is aware of the reports and was investigating.

Tension has been high in Tunisia since an attack on the National Bardo Museum in March which killed 22 people, mostly foreign tourists.

Holiday operators Thomson and First Choice said in a statement: “Thomson and First Choice is aware of a suspected terrorist incident in Tunisia.

“We are working closely with our teams in Tunisia and the relevant authorities to determine exactly what has happened and provide assistance to those affected. More information will be released as it becomes available.”

A security source said the gunman was armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle. It was unclear whether there were other assailants.

‘Shot on the beach’

Mr Pine said his son was in the sea when the shooting broke out, and saw “quite clearly someone get shot on the beach about 150 yards from us”.

“There was, I’d estimate, 30 or 40 shots at least that were fired,” Mr Pine said. “As I, stupidly in hindsight, I went back down the beach to pick up my bags and you could hear bullets whizzing through the air… I was happy to get off that beach, as you’d imagine.”

The Foreign Office has said it is aware of the reports and was investigating.

Tension has been high in Tunisia since an attack on the National Bardo Museum in March which killed 22 people, mostly foreign tourists.

Holiday operators Thomson and First Choice said in a statement: “Thomson and First Choice is aware of a suspected terrorist incident in Tunisia.

“We are working closely with our teams in Tunisia and the relevant authorities to determine exactly what has happened and provide assistance to those affected. More information will be released as it becomes available.”