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Pontllanfraith woman tells of horror during Kenya terror attack

News | Richard Gurner | Published: 14:52, Wednesday September 25th, 2013.

Lynsey Khatau from Pontllanfraith was a survivor of the Kenyan shopping mall siege
Lynsey Khatau from Pontllanfraith was a survivor of the Kenyan shopping mall siege. Picture: BBC

A Pontllanfraith woman has spoken of the terror she faced in the Kenyan shopping centre attack.

On Saturday, Al-Shabab militants stormed the shopping in the country’s capital Nairobi.

Lynsey Khatau, 23, who splits her time between Kenya and Pontllanfraith was with her husband and four-year-old son Caiz in the Westgate mall when she was shot at by the militants.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has said 72 people died in the attack including six security personnel and five militants. Among the dead are six British nationals.

Speaking to BBC Wales Mrs Khatau said: “When they shot at me, my son saw a man get shot instead of me, so I was lucky not to get shot.

“My son is completely traumatised, he cannot sleep and even if he does sleep he wakes up crying ‘they’re shooting at my daddy’ so it’s very difficult at the moment.

Mrs Khatau also described the moment a bullet missed her and hit a man standing behind her.

She said: “The only thing I was thinking is ‘we’re going to die’. There were people just falling everywhere.”

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