The number of dead in the Nairobi shopping mall siege had risen to at least 59 by Sunday afternoon.

There was still no end in sight to the stalemate as Kenyan security forces surrounded the complex and the armed attackers remained holed up inside.

They're believed to have hostages but it was unclear how many.

Kenya's Interior Minister said more than a thousand people had been evacuated from the Westgate mall.

At least 175 people were being treated in hospital, some of them wounded security personnel.

As the deadlock dragged on survivors of the assault told how it began on Saturday.

Presidential candidate Ben Mulwa was among them.

(SOUNDBITE)(English) BEN MULWA, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, SAYING:

"They shot into the security cubicle and started shooting randomly. I think specifically they were targeting the security guys because I saw them pursuing quite a number of them. Unfortunately where I was, the security guard who was lying next to w