Five dead, including American, in Kabul hotel attack

KABUL, Afghanistan, May 13 (UPI) -- Five people died Wednesday after gunmen stormed a hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, and exchanged fire with police.

Local police said several armed men entered the Park Palace Guest House around 8:30 p.m. local time as hotel guests were eating dinner.

One U.S. citizen was among the dead, U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Monica Cummings told CNN. The three gunmen, who were armed with AK-47 rifles, were also killed in the firefight.

More than 30 people were rescued from the hotel, at least three of whom sustained injuries. One of the injured was an American woman, Kabul Crime Investigation Department Chief Farid Afzali said.

One guest rescued from the hotel, Mohammad Zabir Zahir, told The Wall Street Journal he was in his room when the shooting started.

"The special forces entered through the roof and rescued me and several others," he said. "They took us out from the back of the building."

The hotel is popular with foreign tourists and was hosting a musical performance by Indian singer Altaf Hussein at the time of the attack. It is located near a United Nations compound, which was put in lockdown during the incident.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.