SAMARA (Sputnik) – On November 20, several armed militants took 170 people hostage at Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako. Malian and UN security forces then conducted an anti-terrorist operation to free the hostages. The attack claimed lives of at least 19 people, including six Russian nationals.
"The bodies were brought to the Vostochny airport in Ulyanovsk," the authorities told RIA Novosti.
Six crew members of Russia's cargo carrier Volga-Dnepr Airlines were among the killed in the attack carried out by the suspected Islamists.
Responsibility for the violence has been claimed by a number of insurgent groups, including the al-Murabitoun group that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in May, previously having links with al-Qaeda.
