'I had my hand on the door': Woman survives Mali hotel attack

'When the gunfire was going down the hallway, I emailed my husband ... I love you'

Following the Mali hotel attack that claimed the lives of 19 victims, Kathie Fazekas, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employee, has stepped forward to reveal her terrifying experience with a gunman just outside her hotel door.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - Fazekas, an American CDC employee, was staying in the Radisson Blu hotel in Mali last week when Islamist militants attacked.

That day, Fazekas recalled she put her hand on the doorknob to leave her hotel room for a meeting at the U.S. embassy in Bamako, Mali, but heard the shooting begin.

She told ABC News Today, "I had my hand on the door to go out, I heard a spray of gunfire. I knew immediately."

Fazekas barricaded herself in her room while gunmen roamed the halls -with one stopping to knock on her door.

"At one point I hear gunshots in the hallway and there were people checking doors and knocking lightly. And I knew that the cavalry wouldn't come in on a light knock."

In preparation of not surviving the attack, Fazekas admitted she emailed her husband, who was in Atlanta, Georgia.

"When the gunfire was going down the hallway, I emailed my husband a second time and I said, 'I love you. If this doesn't turn out right, I love you and let people know.'"

Nineteen people were killed during the attack, and Malian authorities continue their search for remaining suspects. Major Modibo Nama Traore, of the Malian military, confirmed, "The search has started and I can tell you that we are looking for more than three people at the moment." 

 As many as ten militants were present during the attack, hunting guests and staff members, with several witnesses claiming the terrorists entered in a vehicle featuring a diplomatic license plate. They were armed with AK-47s and grenades. 

President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced a 10-day nationwide state of emergency, with a three-day mourning period starting today.

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