It had been hours since the terrorists burst into the hotel complex in Kenya, and you could feel the desperation in the air.
Armed with guns and explosives, they roamed the halls of the Dusit hotel complex, shooting at anything that moved.
As day turned into night, not much was known about the attack in Nairobi — word was trickling out in bits and pieces. Those trapped inside sent out pleas on social media, asking people to get them help.
Philip Ogola, a Red Cross volunteer who describes himself as a “digital humanitarian,” saw the desperate messages and created a group chat for those trapped in the buildings.
With phones their only connection to the outside world, those shared chats on popular messaging app WhatsApp became a lifeline for the victims during the standoff that started at 4 p.m. on January 15 and lasted nearly 16 hours.
The gunshots and explosions popped relentlessly. Some of the people trapped turned off their lights and crawled under tables. Others crouched inside kitchen cabinets and dazed, bloodied victims occasionally dashed out of the buildings.
Those under siege sent out pleas on the group chat, asking whether help was coming. How long would it take Recce, a Kenyan special forces team, to get to them, they wondered.
The hours dragged on. Some started to worry that the rescuers forgot them. Others wondered why the gunfire kept going. When it finally stopped, they questioned why it was suddenly quiet, whether the special forces sent to rescue them had retreated.
“I can hear my eyelids blink,” one message said.
The clock ticked past midnight, and Tuesday turned into Wednesday. The usually bustling suburb of Westlands became a ghost town. But outside the complex, Ogola sat with other rescuers and some of the victims’ relatives, sharing information.
They got an update from authorities on what part of the complex the police and special forces were in. They asked those in the group to name their locations so police can get to them.
The messages in the group alternated between reassuring the victims and providing medical help to those suffering from gunshot wounds. The group members included a doctor and a Red Cross official who shared tips and images on how to stop bleeding. Issa Premji, a Red Cross official in the group, said the injured victims included a pregnant woman. The tips to stop the bleeding likely saved lives, he said.
When Kenyan authorities declared the siege over on January 16 — nearly 16 hours later — Ogola and other rescuers asked those in the group to check in. Some sent quick one-liners saying they’d been rescued. Others did not say a word — their batteries had long died. But others stopped responding long before the guns fell silent. They were among the 21 people killed in the attack.
Source: CNN