A Ukrainian national is among the hostages taken by armed people in a hotel in Mali, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Mariana Betsa has said.

"An armed attack on a hotel took place in Mali, one of the hostages is a citizen of Ukraine. Together with our international partners we are taking urgent steps for the release of our citizen," she wrote on "Twitter".

According to Western media, unidentified gunmen attacked a hotel in the Malian town of Sévaré on Friday. A man was reportedly killed, however it is unknown if he was a guest, a hotel employee, or a member of the Malian military.