At least 48 people have died after unidentified gunmen attacked hotels and a police station in a Kenyan coastal town, officials say.

Witnesses in Mpeketoni said gun battles lasted for several hours and reported seeing buildings set on fire.

The town is on the mainland near Lamu island, a well-known tourist resort. Kenya has suffered numerous militant attacks since 2011 when its forces entered neighbouring Somalia to combat the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group.

This is the most deadly attack in Kenya since at least 67 people were killed during a siege by al-Shabab fighters at Nairobi’s Westgate shopping centre last September.
-BBC News