At least 10 people are feared to have died and scores injured after a matatu ran over an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on the Arabia-Mombasa road on Monday morning.

The matatu, which was headed for Mandera Town, had an unspecified number of passengers during the explosion and was some eight kilometres away from Mandera Town.

North-Eastern region commander George Seda has confirmed the incident and said eight other passengers of the ill-fated vehicle sustained serious injuries and according to a witness report, the death toll from the incident may rise because of the casualties.

The 14-seater matatu was obviously carrying more passengers than its capacity.

The police also suspect the incident to be an act of terrorism executed by the infamous militia group, Al-Shabaab, operating in the region.

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Seda said witnesses have counted 5 bodies and police are already on the ground. 

Response teams have evacuated those who were injured and the police have started investigations into the incident.

“Witnesses have seen five bodies and we are on the ground now,” Seda said.

This attack comes barely a week after foreign countries issued a terrorist attack warning to their citizens in the country and the Kenyan government responded by affirming it has beefed up its security.

The region has been prone to Al-Shabaab attacks from members of the outlawed group who cross in and out of the county through the porous Kenya-Somalia border.