At least 44 people have been killed and scores injured in a bloody clan attack in eastern Kenya, police confirmed in Nairobi Tuesday.

Kenyan police spokesman Jaspher Ombati said the armed raiders attacked a rival clan in Galgallo and Turbi villages in Marsabit district early Tuesday which killed 44 people including 27 children.

"We have confirmed that 44 people, 27 of them children, were killed today at around 6 AM when bandits attacked villages in Marsabit district," Ombati told Xinhua by telephone.

He said the security forces have been dispatched to the scene to assess the situation on the ground but no arrests have been made so far.

The police spokesman said they are finding it difficult to contact the security officers on the ground due to communication problems.

Inter-clan violence are common in several parts of the east African nation and scores of people have been killed due to disputes over lack of natural resources this year.

(Xinhua News Agency July 13, 2005)