NAIROBI: Five people were killed and three others, including a Chinese national, were wounded when “bandits” ambushed a construction site in a coastal region of Kenya, police said.
The attack took place on Friday in Lamu County which lies close to the Somalia border.
Workers had been constructing a bridge on the Lamu Port, South Sudan, Ethiopia Transport Corridor (LAPSSET) when they came under attack.
“Four people were shot fatally,” a police report seen by AFP said.
A motorcycle rider who was caught in the crossfire was also killed, the report said, adding that the anti-terror police unit was investigating the incident.
The attack was claimed by the Al-Shabab Islamist militant group.
The Lamu region, which includes the popular tourist beach destination of Lamu Island, has suffered frequent attacks, often carried out with roadside bombs.
Al-Shabab fighters have staged several raids inside Kenya in retaliation for Nairobi sending troops into Somalia in 2011 as part of an African Union force to oust the jihadists.