Gunmen kidnap Italian aid worker in Kenya

Five were injured when a gang of men with AK-47s stormed a trading post

An armed gang abducted a 23-year-old Italian woman, who worked as a volunteer for an Italian charity, during the attack and wounding five residents in the raid. AFP

A gang of men armed with guns kidnapped an Italian NGO worker and wounded five in an attack on a trading centre in southwest Kenya on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old  was abducted in the trading centre in the coastal region of Kilifi by men armed with AK-47 rifles.

"The Gang … abducted an Italian lady aged 23 years who is a volunteer of Africa Milele Onlus, an NGO operating in the area," the National Police Service said on Twitter.

Five people between the ages of 10 and 23 were shot and one person is in a serious condition, the police said.

The wounded were taken to hospital and police are pursuing the attackers.