Somalian-based militant group Al-Shabaab rushed into the school early Thursday morning, shooting students and taking Christian hostages during prayer services.

The group then headed for the hostels, falsely advising students to come outside if they wished to survive. Those who remained inside nervously hid under beds, in ceilings and even under the dead bodies of their peers for hours. Students who obeyed Al-Shabaab’s orders were subsequently shot in the back of the head as they left the buildings.

Surviving students recall hearing their classmates’ cries, a single gunshot, then chilling silence.

Kenyan police have since arrested five suspects in connection with Thursday’s massacre and officials have declared a curfew in Garissa for the next few days. The university has been closed indefinitely.

In 2013, Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the Westgate mall attack in Nairobi.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those suffering in Garissa.

Blavity readers can follow the Kenyan US Embassy, NTV Kenya and Disaster Operations of Kenya on Twitter for updates on the tragedy.

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