KENYA: At least 48 people have died in an attack by gunmen on the Kenyan coastal town of Mpeketoni, the Kenyan Red Cross said on Monday

Record ID: 354985

  • Title: KENYA: At least 48 people have died in an attack by gunmen on the Kenyan coastal town of Mpeketoni, the Kenyan Red Cross said on Monday
  • Date: 16th June 2014
  • Summary: CROWDS GATHERING AROUND BUILDING WHERE BODIES BEING HELD
  • Embargoed: 1st July 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
  • Reuters ID: LVA6FMNGAZ2MAWHSELDF2LTPDED2
  • Story Text: At least 48 people have died in an attack by gunmen on the Kenyan coastal town of Mpeketoni, the Kenya Red Cross and police said on Monday (June 16).
    Militants targeted two hotels, a bank and a police station with guns and at least one explosive device. The assault on Sunday (June 15) night was the latest in a string of attacks that have hurt Kenya's tourism business, a key source of foreign exchange.
    Mpeketoni lies north of Kenya's main port of Mombasa.
    Many Mpeketoni residents had fled from the attack into nearby forests, he said.

    "We have not arrested anybody in connection with the attack so far," David Kimaiyo, the inspector general of Kenya's police, told Reuters.
    A Reuters reporter in the town saw at least six bodies strewn on roads inside the town.
    Mpeketoni is about 45 minutes by road and boat away from historic Lamu island, which was used as a port by Arab traders from the 14th century and which is popular with tourists.
    Ten burnt-out vehicles were also seen in the area and a Kenyan bank branch was gutted in the attack, the reporter said.
    Residents said there were at least 30 attackers who used two vehicles in the raid.
    Two military helicopters flew over the town on Monday morning, the Reuters witness said.
    Mpeketoni is more than three hours' drive from the border with Somalia, where Kenya has troops fighting al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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