At least 10 people have been killed by gunmen in a shootout at a shopping mall in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

Police chief Benson Kibue said the gunmen were attempting to rob a shop inside the Westgate centre when the shootout began.

Some witnesses said grenades were detonated inside the mall, while others reported seeing the attackers on the roof or balconies of the building.

Abdi Osman Adan, a journalist in Nairobi, told staff at a supermarket and a jewellery store had reportedly been taken hostage.

Witnesses reported seeing the attackers “firing at any police officers who tried to approach the building”, he said.

Rob Vandijk, who works at the Dutch embassy, said he was eating at a restaurant inside the mall when the attackers threw hand grenades inside the building.

He said he heard gunfire and people screaming as they dropped to the ground.

Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government tweeted: “We’re doing our job to ensure that everyone is evacuated to safety. This is a scene of crime.”

In a separate message, Kenya Police wrote: “We urge the public to remain calm, stop any form of speculation, especially online, and let us resolve this quickly.”

Westgate is situated in western Nairobi and is popular with both expatriates and rich Kenyans.

According to the centre’s website, it is the city’s “premier shopping mall” and offers a “serene and safe enviornment away from the city centre hubbub”.

It has more than 80 stores and features a waterfall with tropical gardens.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office advised British nationals to avoid the mall and the surrounding Westlands district.

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