Photos From Kenya Mall Attack

Masked gunmen stormed into a fancy, crowded mall in Nairobi on Saturday and shot dead at least 59 people and wounded more than 150 in one of the most chilling terrorist attacks in East Africa since Al Qaeda blew up two American embassies in 1998.

Parents hurled their bodies over their children, people jumped into ventilation shafts to save themselves, and shoppers huddled behind the plastic mannequins of designer clothing stores as two squads of gunmen believed to be linked to a Somali terrorist group moved through the mall, shooting shoppers in the head.

New York Times photographer Tyler Hick put his life on the line to capture the devastating event. See photos under

Hours later, the mall’s gleaming floors were smeared with blood as police officers dashed through the corpse-strewn corridors, trying to find the assailants.

A standoff with the attackers, who were reported to be heavily armed and holding an unknown number of hostages, continued as the sun rose on Sunday.

At least 59 people have been confirmed dead in the siege,about 30 hostages still held hostages and about 1000 people have been able to get out of the mall since the attack.

As many as 15 gunmen could still be involved.

Photos by New York Times photographer Tyler Hick