Gunfire has erupted at the beach resort of Grand-Bassam in Ivory Coast, French media say.

Eyewitnesses say the unidentified assailants fired on guests. Unverified footage posted online shows people running away from the beach.

Grand Bassam, about 40km (25 miles) east of the country's main city Abidjan, is popular with Westerners.

Ivory Coast was seen as a model of stability in West Africa until a civil war erupted in 2002.

The conflict pitted the mainly Muslim north and the largely Christian south. Since then peace deals have alternated with renewed violence.

A witness of Sunday's attack told AFP news agency that "heavily armed men wearing balaclavas" had fired at guests at the L'Etoile du Sud, a hotel that was full of expats in the current heatwave.