12 killed in Shabaab bomb attack in Kenya

A man stands amid the debris at the scene of an attack in Mandera, Kenya, near the border with Somalia on Tuesday. Pic/AP/PTI

Nairobi: A bomb blast at a guest house in northeast Kenya killed at least 12 people yesterday, in an attack claimed by Shabaab militants, which last hit the area earlier this month.

"We have found 12 bodies so far, after we managed to access the building," a senior police officer said. "We are still combing the area with the help of anti-terrorism police and sniffer dogs in the ongoing search and rescue."

Eleven men and one woman were killed in the 3.30 am (local time) blast at the Bisharo lodge, a police source said. The toll was confirmed in a government statement that said part of the building collapsed after the blast.

The Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab group claimed the attack in a message broadcast by its Radio Andalus, claiming 15 were killed. "This attack is part of a series of attacks in which the mujahideen are hunting down infidels in northeast Kenya," the group said.