3 killed in Kenya church attack

Blood stains on the church floor as Kenyan plaincloths police officer investigate inside Kenyan Joyland church in Likoni, near Mombasa, Kenya Sunday, March 23, 2014. Kenyan officials said three people died after gunmen opened fire in a church just outside the coastal city of Mombasa. The Interior Ministry said Sunday that three gunmen opened fire inside the Joyland Church killing a small number of people. At least 10 were wounded. (AP Photo)

Kenyan officials say three people died after gunmen opened fire in a church outside the coastal city of Mombasa.

The Interior Ministry said on Sunday that three gunmen opened fire inside the Joyland Church in a Mombasa suburb called Likoni, killing two people. At least 10 were wounded. A nurse at a nearby hospital said a third person died while being treated.

The Interior Ministry said police were 100 metres away during the shooting and “responded swiftly” but the gunmen escaped.

Kenya has suffered dozens of small attacks, many on churches, over the last several years. Muslim-Christian tensions on Kenya’s coast are high.

Sunday’s shooting comes about a week after police on the coast intercepted a car packed with explosives police believe were to be used for an attack.