The death toll from Sunday's terror attack in the Ivory Coast is at 19, government officials say.
The victims reportedly came from six different countries. Eleven Ivorians were killed, and four French citizens were among the dead, as well as one German, one Nigerian, one Macedonian and one Lebanese.
The violence spared no group, Bruno Koné, a spokesman for the government of the Ivory Coast, said Wednesday. Among the victims were Ivorians from the north and the south, Africans and westerners, and Muslims and Christians.
Koné announced the government will provide nearly $1 million in financial assistance to the town of Grand Bassam, as well as local hotels and traders.
Earlier Wednesday, President Alassane Ouattara, dressed in black, placed a wreath on the beach next to the hotel where the shooting took place. He said the Ivory Coast will not respond to the attack with exclusion.
The tragic event only reinforces the unity of the brothers and sisters of the Ivory Coast, Ouattara said, adding that the country will continue to be the land of hospitality that it has always been.
Moving forward after attack
Heavily armed gunmen descended on beachfront resorts in Grand Bassam at midday Sunday, opening fire on beachgoers and people in two hotels. The government said all three attackers were killed.
Three days after the attack, almost no traces of the carnage remain, and maintenance men were busy cleaning.
Pulling through and moving on are priorities, the hotel owners said.
The president of the board of the Etoile du Sud hotel said the attack was demoralizing at first, "but now my colleagues and I are ready to get going again."
Patrick Koné, owner of the neighboring hotel Nouvelle Paillote, agreed. His establishment was looted after the attack.
"If you come by on Friday," he said, "you will see everything will be ready."
Responding to concerns about safety, Koné said the Ivorian government had pledged its help.
"We have a day guard and a night guard," the hotel owner said, "and the government is doing what is necessary."
The Ivory Coast will hold a tribute Sunday for all the victims. Twenty-four people injured in the attack remain hospitalized.
