NAIROBI, Kenya

Three people were killed in an attack claimed by the al-Shabaab terror group in northern Kenya, local police said on Wednesday.

A 58-seater bus heading to capital Nairobi from the border town of Mandera came under fire from terrorists, who were hiding in bushes along the route.

The bus driver was among several people injured in the firing but he still managed to speed away from the site.

Police officials told reporters the bus was operated by a private company and the attack was carried out by the al-Shabaab terror group, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda.

They said it was likely the attackers had entered Mandera through the porous Kenya-Somalia border.

Mandera County Commissioner Onesmus Kyatha confirmed the casualties in the attack but said more details would be released later in the day.

He added that security forces were deployed in the area to hunt down the terrorists.

The attack was similar to one last December in which al-Shabaab terrorists killed eight people on a 50-passenger bus in Wajir County.