British mother and son trapped in 'terrifying' mall siege

A British mother and her son trapped inside Nairobi's Westgate Shopping Centre when the siege began said their ordeal was "terrifying".

Anita and Kavi Sanghani told ITV News they were inside a mobile phone shop with around 44 other people when they heard gunfire.

"I didn't know they were terrorists, I thought they were robbers," Mrs Sanghani said. "I just closed the doors [of the shop] and my son was calling me, 'Mum, come back, come back, come quickly.'"

ITV News' Africa Correspondent Rohit Kachroo reports from the Kenyan capital Nairobi:

Kavi Sanghani said: "It was terrifying because everyone was very emotional and shivering and there were a few people that were young that didn't know anyone elderly there".

"It was really bad at the beginning, but then we all got together and kept quiet and laid down and waited for help."

They were held up inside the shopping mall for six hours before managing to escape.

Mrs Sanghani's husband Tony said he made his way to Westgate after hearing they were trapped.

He told Rohit Kachroo, "I saw six to seven bodies right next to each other ... I had to go. I knew my family was in [there] and I just wanted to get them out."