The Kenya Red Cross said it had begun setting up temporary shelter and distributing food and other essentials. (EPA Images pic)NAIROBI: The Kenya Red Cross said it was sending humanitarian supplies to families who fled into Kenya after fighting erupted in the Ethiopian border town of Moyale this week and that its response would initially reach 1,000 households.

Hundreds of Ethiopians, mainly women, children and young people, crossed into Kenya after the fighting began on Wednesday, the Kenya Red Cross and local government officials have said.

Gunfire could still be heard on the Ethiopian side of the border on Thursday, according to local residents.

Kenya's Moyale town, which sits opposite an Ethiopian settlement of the same name, remained calm, but police were on high alert after reporting several incidents involving stray bullets.