A second day of gunfire and blasts after armed men attack hotel complex in Kenya

The coordinated blasts and gunfire started Tuesday afternoon local time at the DusitD2 compound, an upmarket cluster of shops and hotel facilities in the capital of Nairobi.

An unknown number of gunmen burst through the complex, leading to a standoff that continued through the night, with people trapped in various parts of the buildings hours later.

Friends and relatives of those unaccounted for anxiously waited for word on their loved ones early Wednesday as the interior ministry announced that authorities had evacuated people from the compound, and the site had been secured.

The Kenya Red Cross in Nairobi launched a blood drive to help the victims and urged people to donate. It also said it has launched a line to provide counseling and connect people who are searching for loved ones.

"No further threat to public exists," the interior ministry said in a statement early Wednesday. "Civilians who had been secured in one building by security while mopping up continues now safely evacuated. All buildings and surrounding area secure."

But sporadic gunfire continued hours after the all clear. The nation's police chief, Joseph Boinnet, told CNN that the evacuation was still ongoing Wednesday morning despite the interior ministry's announcement.

Police warned residents to refrain from sharing unconfirmed news or images of the ongoing security operation on social media.

Terror group claims responsibility

A source helping with security at the hotel called the death toll "conservative," and said it's expected to rise. The fatalities included a US citizen, the State Department said, but did not provide details.

Somali Islamist militant group, Al-Shabaab, claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. It's the most high-profile terror attack in the East African country in years, and happened three years to the day after Al-Shabaab militants targeted a Kenyan military base in neighboring Somalia, killing dozens of soldiers.

And in 2013, Al-Shabaab militants targeted the luxury shopping center of Westgate, killing 67 people in a siege that lasted several days.

Westgate is about two miles away from the site of Tuesday's attack.

Attack started with car bombs

The attack began at a bank inside the compound Tuesday afternoon. An explosion ripped through three vehicles in the parking lot, followed by a suicide blast in the foyer of the Dusit Hotel, Boinnet said.

Crowds in bloodied clothes fled as armed officers escorted office workers to safety amid the gunfire. The flames in the parking lot raged, with the smoke visible from buildings far away in Nairobi's affluent Westlands neighborhood.

"As we were leaving, there were gunshots all over the place," said Evans Ng'ong'a, who was inside the complex. "Attackers jumped over the fence and started shooting after the explosion."

In a series of tweets, US Ambassador to Kenya, Bob Godec, condemned the attacks and said all embassy personnel in Kenya are safe.

CNN's Farai Sevenzo reported from Nairobi and Faith Karimi wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Anna Cardovillis, Steve Almasy, Sam Kiley and Eliza Mackintosh contributed to this report.

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