A French woman was kidnapped by an armed gang while she lay asleep in her beach cottage in Kenya, according to reports.

The elderly woman, who is thought to be disabled, owns the house at Mandu Island near the popular tourist town of Lamu in which she lives for half the year.

It is thought that an armed gang landed on the island and then raided her cottage before kidnapping the woman.

A senior police officer in the coastal city of Mombasa commented: “It is true that we are looking for an elderly woman from France who was abducted by gunmen last night from Manda bay”

In a further development, Najib Balala, the tourism minister has said a stand-off was taking place near the border with Somalia.

Two Kenyan coastguard vessels have surrounded a boat carrying the gunmen and the hostage.

“Our fear is if we do drown the boat we will drown the woman,” Balala commented.

The attack comes three weeks after the attack of a British couple further north in Kiwayu. The husband was shot dead by gunman while his wife was kidnapped.

The British woman, Judith Tebbutt is still being held across the border to Somalia.