Gunmen have kidnapped an Italian voluntary worker and wounded five others, including young children, as they opened fire in Kenya's southeast coastal region of Kilifi, police said.

The unidentified attackers, armed with assault rifles, fired indiscriminately at residents at about 8pm (17:00 GMT) on Tuesday in the Chakama trading centre in Kilifi county, about 80km west of Malindi town, the National Police Service said on Twitter.

"The gang ... abducted an Italian lady aged 23 years who is a volunteer with Africa Milele Onlus, an NGO operating in the area," it posted on Wednesday.

The wounded included a 10-year-old who was shot in the eye and a 12-year-old who was hit in the thigh, police said. They were all taken to a hospital,with one in serious condition.

The kidnapped woman has been identified as Sylvia Constanza Romano, who was working for the small Italian charity, according to her organisation andKenya's police chief, Joseph Boinnet.

The motive for the attack is not yet clear, police said, as officers were pursuing the attackers.

"We assure the public that we are sparing no effort in tracking down the criminals and rescue the victim," the National Police Service said.

Two witnesses told Reuters news agency they heard the gunmen speaking Somalia. (Aljazeera)

• Villagers look up as a Kenyan police helicopter flies above the scene of the attack in the village of Chakama