Gunmen storm Kenyan college, students trapped inside

Sources say two security guards at the campus had been killed and the gunmen were likely to have taken hostages because many students remain trapped inside the campus

Emergency services at the college, where gunmen shot dead two guards and are believed to have taken students hostage (Photo: Twitter)
Emergency services at the college, where gunmen shot dead two guards and are believed to have taken students hostage (Photo: Twitter)

Masked gunmen stormed a college campus in northeastern Kenya on Thursday, setting off explosions and exchanging gunfire with security forces for several hours, and could have taken hostages after killing two guards, police and media reports said.

Police who encircled the campus at the Garissa University College were joined by Kenyan soldiers as the standoff continued over several hours, Kenyan media reported.

Sources say two security guards at the campus had been killed and the gunmen were likely to have taken hostages because many students remain trapped inside the campus in the town of Garissa.

"Two guards who were manning the gate at the university have been killed," they said. "We can hear gunshots from inside the compound but at this point we can't tell who is shooting at who or what."

No group has claimed responsibility for the raid yet. Somali Islamist militant group al Shabaab has carried out several attacks in Garissa and across Kenya in the past, including the 2013 attack on an upscale shopping mall in the capital Nairobi.