Tourists run for their lives on Tunisian beach as gunman carries out attack outside hotel packed with Western tourists

At least nineteen people are thought to have been killed after a terror attack at a Tunisian beach resort popular with British holidaymakers.

Tourists reported hearing gunshots on the beach and a loud explosion in the city of Sousse – located in the north east of the country.

Posting on Twitter, one holidaymaker wrote: ‘Actual terrorist attack on the beach next to my hotel. Gunshots and grenades going off all over the place.

‘Sat in the pool and hear a noise like a gun, then an explosion then multiple shots and staff getting us back to the rooms."

Another image posted on Twitter purportedly showed the body of a tourist who had been gunned down as he relaxed on the beach.

Rebecca Miles, a British tourist who was staying at the Royal Kenz hotel with her boyfriend told MailOnline: ‘We were told to go back to our rooms because there were reports of a bomb.

‘It happened about half an hour ago – I heard a bang and I thought it was thunder but it was a clear sky so it obviously wasn"t.

‘I heard sirens going off about 20 minutes ago and everyone came running back from the private hotel beach which is about 400 metres from the hotel. Everyone is a bit clueless about what is happening.

‘People are anxious because they don"t really know what is happening and we are now stuck in our rooms. There have been deaths apparently."

British tourist identified as Gary told Sky News: ‘There were several hundred people on the beach, it was quite busy because of the lovely weather.

‘You could hear bullets whizzing around, but at first I thought the gunfire was firecrackers."

Some reports claimed that militants parachuted into the town before the attack, however Gary told Sky News this may be due to the para-sailing activities many tourists undertook throughout the day at the resort.