South African political parties on Friday condemned the attack on the Garissa University in Kenya, where 147 people were killed by Al-Shabaab militants, calling it appalling and senseless.

“The loss of life and attacks on defenseless citizens is indefensible and unjustifiable regardless of the circumstances,” ANC national spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said.

“We send our deepest condolences to the families that are suffering at the hands of those who planned and committed these atrocious acts.”

The Democratic Alliance called the attack a human tragedy.

“Attacks in the name of extremism are especially concerning, and must be condemned,” DA MP Stevens Mokgalapa said.

“The rise of fundamentalist activity risks limiting and negating the freedoms of millions, and risks dividing the people of the world into oppositional corners. Any violent death in the world diminishes us all.”

The Somali-based militants attacked the university in the early hours of Thursday morning.

It is understood that there were just over 700 students in the university compound at the time of the attack.

Throughout the day there had been reports from survivor that several students had been beheaded during the attack.

Just after 20:30 on Thursday, Reuters reported that the siege on the university had ended.

The ANC and the DA sent its condolences to the families who lost loved ones in the attack.

According to foreign news agency the Deutsche-Presse Agentur (dpa) the attack was one of the biggest attributed to al-Shabaab in Kenya.

The National Disaster Operation Centre on Twitter reportedly said all four attackers had been killed. They were believed to be among the 147.

At least 79 people were reported injured and 587 people were evacuated from the campus, dpa reported.

The death toll exceeded the September 2013 siege at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi where 67 people reportedly died. News 24