Rome - Italy's foreign ministry confirmed Monday that two Italian Roman Catholic nuns have been abducted in Kenya.

"Foreign Minister Franco Frattini is constantly monitoring the situation," the ministry said in a statement in Rome.

The nuns may have been taken across the border into Somalia, the ANSA news agency said, citing Somali "news reports."

In an effort to establish the whereabouts of the two women, Italian officials were working with Kenyan authorities and the Vatican's Papal Nunciature diplomatic mission in Nairobi, the foreign ministry statement said. (dpa)