Mali attack was 'horrifying'

The hostage crisis which lasted almost 24 hours ended on Saturday when government troops stormed the Byblos Hotel. 

A South African was among the 12 people killed in the siege.

Meanwhile, one of the South Africans who survived the attack made contact with the Gift of the Givers the disaster relief agency for which he's worked for in the past. The organisation's Imtiaz Sooliman says he's been told a firsthand account of what happened. 

"I received a call and he explained the whole situation as an eyewitness account of what they experienced and the emotions they went through. It was very horrifying. His last words to me were 'we want to come home'," he said.

(File photo: AFP)