Al-Shabaab militants have claimed responsibility for an attack that killed 36 workers at a quarry in northeastern Kenya.
The attack was in the same area that the group hijacked a bus and killed 28 passengers a week ago.
A village elder at Korome, near the site of the attack, said gunmen crept up on dozens of workers as they slept in tents around the quarry at about 1am (10pm Irish time).
"The militia separated the Muslims, then ordered the non-Muslims to lie down where they shot them in the head at close range," Hassan Duba said.
A witness at the scene said most victims were shot in the head and at least two were beheaded.
He counted 36 bodies at the quarry, about 15km from the town of Mandera.
Kenya's government confirmed 36 people were killed in the quarry attack and cited survivors saying about 20 attackers were involved.
Investigations are under way into that attack and another in the northern town of Wajir late last night in which one person was killed.
#UPDATE Gunmen massacre 36 workers at a quarry in a fresh attack in troubled northeast Kenya http://t.co/BzGAIJNkGH pic.twitter.com/yVC9IF0ZVF
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) December 2, 2014
The bus attack on 23 November also took place on the outskirts of Mandera near the Somali border.
In that case, militants ordered non-Muslims off the bus and shot them while sparing Muslims.
In the wake of the latest attack, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has nominated a new interior minister and accepted the resignation of the head of the police.
Both minister Joseph Ole Lenku and police chief David Kimaiyo had been criticised for failing to stop the recent attacks.
Critics have also said Mr Kenyatta has not done enough to secure the country since al-Shabaab gunmen attacked Nairobi's Westgate shopping centre last year, killing 67 people.
Al-Shabaab has in the past said it was punishing Kenya for sending troops to join African peacekeepers battling the Islamists in Somalia.
Opponents have said the presence of Kenyan troops has not protected Kenya and so they should be withdrawn.
