Three killed in gun attack on bank in northeast Kenya - police

Attackers shot and killed three people in a raid on a commercial bank in northeast Kenya on Friday, police said, while Kenya Red Cross said an improvised explosive device had also been detonated on a road in the same town but no injuries had been reported.

Two civilians and a police officer died in the attack on the bank in Mandera County, police commander Charles Chacha said.

"There were five armed gangsters. When they arrived at the bank, they shot the officer at the door, and the police managed to shoot one of the criminals, but ...they escaped," Chacha told Reuters by phone.

In the past, Mandera has been the scene of frequent attacks, which have killed dozens of civilians and security personnel. Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab have taken responsibility for most of them.

Elwak, where Friday's attack took place, is near the border with Somalia.

Kenya Red Cross said on its Twitter account that there had been an incident involving an improvised explosive device on the road linking Elwak to Mandera, but there were no injuries reported.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)