Ross Langdon and his partner Elif were expecting their first child in two weeks when they got swept up in Nairobi shopping centre attack.
The dual Australian-UK national was a noted architect, working extensively in Africa, even offering pro-bono advice in the design of an AIDS hospital.
Melbourne woman Sarah Williamson was visiting her father, a UN official when she was caught up in the attack.
The 23-year old huddled in a small room for six hours before escaping, and her relieved family is now considering the plight of others.
"Yes, the hostages and everybody else still involved are our main concern, because I know what it was like to almost lose my family and I can't imagine what they're going through," said Ms Williamson.
Kwenda Obudho says the mood in Australia's Kenyan community is sombre, but efforts to provide practical assistance are underway. "People in Kenya are requesting blood donations. We can't do that from here. The only real thing we can do is contribute money".
Terror expert Professor Joseph Siracusa says al Shabab, the group responsible for the attacks come from bordering Somalia, one of the world's most unstable countries.
"They want to cleanse that part of the world of Christianity and Western ideas - these guys are hard core al Qaeda types," he said.
He says this attack will achieve its goal of attracting recruits and perpetuating fear. "You're into eternal vigilance. You are on watch 24/7 so that's what the West has to think about now".
That's cold comfort for Melbourne-based IT consultant Ahmed Yusuf. In a few weeks he's planning to return to Kenya for the first time in 15 years.
He's hopeful all close family are accounted for. "I don't know if I know people there and I could possibly know people in there".
Ironically, a couple of weeks before he migrated to Australia, Mr Yusuf witnessed Kenya's previous experience as a major terror target.
In 1998, he was two blocks away when the US embassy in Nairobi was bombed, killing more than 200 people and injuring thousands.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has condemned the terrorist attack and expressed her sympathy to Kenyans and President Uhuru Kenyatta, who has lost family members in the incident.
"The thoughts of all Australians are with the victims and their families," she said in a statement.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott was briefed on the unfolding crisis earlier on Sunday.
Australians still in Kenya have been urged to avoid all public places in Nairobi for the next 24-48 hours and closely monitor local media.
People with concerns about family or friends in Kenya should try to contact them directly or if unsuccessful phone the DFAT consular emergency centre on (02) 6261 3305.
Meanwhile, Nairobi's Westgate shopping centre remains under siege by armed insurgents with more than 30 people believed to be trapped inside.
Between 10 and 15 masked attackers entered the shopping mall on Saturday, with the Somali militant group Al-Shebab claiming responsibility for the siege.
Nairobi resident George Omondi has told SBS reporters Gode Migerano and Rhiannon Elston it's believed the hostages are being held on the upper floors of the shopping centre, possibly in a movie theatre.
LISTEN: Hear the full interview below.
"The rest of the city is quiet, of course security has been heightened in all the buildings, government and other places," he said.
Reports of gunshots and loud explosions overnight have not been directly explained by Kenyan Security Forces who are busy monitoring the centre, he added.
"The information has been scant, because the security forces say when this is reported live, what is happening is they are also watching inside so they've stopped streaming out what is coming out," he said.
The upmarket mall attracts wealthy Kenyans and expatriates working for the United Nations or within embassies and has been threatened in the past by militants, said Mr Omondi.
"This is a big shopping mall and the ownership of this shopping mall has some shareholders who are Israeli, so this has always been a prime target for them," he said.
As the stand-off entered its third day, Mr Omondi said "tonnes" of Kenyan security forces have now surrounded the building, as well as small contingents of foreign forces.
"The Kenyan police is there, the Kenyan Defence Force is in there, and also some special forces," he said. "The place is full."
Early reports suggest the insurgents were targeting non-Muslims.
"People coming out the building, some of them were asked to recite Muslim or Arabic words, and those who were able to recite were let out but the people who could not were then taken hostage," said Mr Omondi.
MILITANTS THREATEN REMAINING HOSTAGES
Somali Shebab militants on Monday threatened to kill hostages who remain inside the building.
"We authorise the mujahedeen inside the building to take actions against the prisoners as much as they are pressed," Ali Mohamud Rage said in a statement posted on an Islamist website.
"We are telling Christians advancing onto the mujahedeen to have mercy for their prisoners who will bear the brunt of any force directed against the mujahedeen," Rage added.
The Al-Qaida-linked group claimed to be in contact with the fighters inside the mall. It also said the gunmen were battling both Kenyan and Israeli forces.
As the stand-off entered its third day, sustained bursts of rapid gunfire erupted at dawn and lasted 15 minutes, and soldiers posted around the complex ducked for cover.
This was followed by three big explosions, AFP correspondents at the scene said.
The Shebab have not said how many people were being held by the dozen-or-so attackers, who marched into the sprawling four-storey complex at midday Saturday, spraying shoppers with machine gunfire and tossing grenades.
DEATH TOLL AT 68
At least 68 people were killed and 175 wounded when al-Qaeda-linked Somali militants stormed an upmarket shopping centre in the Kenyan capital, according to local officials.
Between 10 and 15 gunmen are believed to be holed up in the building with an unknown number of hostages, a full day after the carnage began.
DFAT says it's received confirmation that two Canadian nationals have been killed, including a diplomat, and the French government has advised that two of its nationals are among the victims.
One New Zealand national has been confirmed as injured.
"The situation on the ground remains fluid," DFAT's spokeswoman said.
"DFAT has received advice from several Australians who were caught up in the attack and managed to escape to safety."
