Gunmen killed at least 16 people at an Ivory Coast beach resort on Sunday, in the third major attack on a West African tourism spot since November, officials said.

This latest act of terror happened at beaches near the Etoile du Sud Hotel and two other hotels in Grand-Bassam, which is about 40 miles east of the capital, Abidjan.

Fourteen civilians were slaughtered by six assailants, who were killed by security forces, President Alassane Ouattara said.

“Six attackers came onto the beach in Bassam this afternoon,” Ouattara said. “We have 14 civilians and two special forces soldiers who were unfortunately killed.”

Terrorists linked to al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a group which monitors jihadist activities.

At least one of the attackers shouted “Allahu akbar” (Arabic for “God is the greatest”), a witness told the Daily Mirror newspaper.

The hotel and beach were packed with tourists looking to beat the region’s unseasonable heat wave.

The victims included at least five men and five women, CNN reported.

Another witness described attackers as “heavily armed men wearing balaclavas,” according to Agence France-Presse.

Officials with the US Embassy in Abidjan said there was no immediate word of any Americans being injured in this attack.

Islamic militants attacked the Radisson Blu hotel in neighboring Mali, killing 20 people, on Nov. 20, 2015.

Al Qaeda-linked terrorists stormed the Splendid Hotel in Burkina Faso on Jan. 15 and killed 30.