cnn's david mackenzie is live in johannesburg with the latest. od morning. >> reporter: victor, good morning. yes, this is a horrific terrorist attack that unfolded throughout the night. signs of explosions, chaos. blood on the floor, witnesses saying the attackers went to a cafe, killing people, taking them as if they were alive, if they were, shooting them in the being of the head. eerily similar to an attack in mali by the alleged al qaeda-linked group to spread terror striking western assets and soft targets. now the latest from the security ministry is that 23 people dead from 18 nationalities. more missing, scores rescued by a combination of the burkina faso forces the french military and also assisted bety u.s. military. >> all right, david mackenzie, we'll check back throughout the morning. thanks very much. >>> well, after more than three decade, crippleing sanctions against iran may be lifted. this could happen any minute. the country's foreign minister is in vienna, austria, meeting with officials from the u.s. and the united nations. n

. >> david mackenzie has the defails. >> firy scenes both shocking and horribly familiar. authorities say at least four heavily armed attackers, two of them women, storming a cafe popular with westerners in burkina's capital friday. >> it's horrible. everyone was panicked and laying down on the floor. there was bld everywhere. they were shooting at people. the sound of the detonation was so loud. we could hear them talking and they were walking around and kept shooting at people that seemed alive. >> officials said it was a complex attack. some terrorists posing as tourists during the day before striking at night. moving from the cafe to a popular hotel across the street. burkina bay forces joined by french special sources and american intelligence support. hours into the bloody siege, the security operation moved in and the shooting soon stopped but the attack left dozens dead from at least 18 countries, more than 120 hostages were freed and many still injured. >> translator: they came in. we were all lying on the ground. and they shot at everybody. maybe i was lucky it w