France's ambassador to Burkina Faso said Saturday 27 people had been killed in a hotel attack by militant Islamists in the capital Ouagadougou, slightly higher than a death toll of 23 given earlier by the West African nation's president.

Ambassador Gilles Thibault also tweeted that 150 people from 18 countries had been rescued from the site of the attack and had received medical treatment.

Meantime, the West African nation's security ministry also said on Saturday that two Austrian citizens, a doctor and his wife, were kidnapped overnight in northern Burkina Faso near the border with Mali.

The kidnapping occurred in the Baraboule area, the ministry said in a message sent to reporters.

It was not immediately clear whether the abduction was linked to an attack carried against the hotel in the capital.