Gunfire was heard in Kinshasa as early as 9 a.m. Armed men took control of the National Congolese Radio and Television headquarters with the intent of using the broadcast equipment, while separate groups opened fire at the N'Djili International Airport and at Camp Tshatshi, one of the two main military bases located in the city. The attackers at the television headquarters also took several hostages, but security forces shut down communications at the station before the rebels could finish broadcasting their message. The rebellion consisted of only about 70 individuals, roughly 30 of whom were deployed to the television station. The remaining 40 were dispatched evenly to N'Djili and Camp Tshatshi. The Congolese military claimed to have killed as many as 40 rebels as it reclaimed all three locations.