At least 45 people have died in southwestern Kenya after a dam burst Sunday night following heavy rains that spawned devastating flooding across the country.
Earlier, several people went missing after their boat capsized in a river in eastern Kenya.
Kenyan rescue teams were searching for survivors swept away by floods in the Mai Mahiu area of Nakuru County.
John Karungu, who lives near the dam, said it broke around 2:30 in the morning and that people on the downstream side pleaded for help as the rushing water engulfed their homes. Karungu and his neighbours managed to rescue several children, but some were swept away.
“We managed to leave the house in time before the gushing waters swept away everything, including our livestock,” Joel Kuria, a farmer, told Reuters. He also said he heard the “screams of victims being washed downstream.”
According to residents, at least 16 homes were swept away in the area.
Later reports said a clogged tunnel may have played a role in the flooding.
Kenyan Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen and Nakuru County Governor Susan Kihika visited the flood zone to assess the damage and mobilize authorities and agencies for rescue operations and aid distribution to the victims.
Naivasha Police Commander Stephen Kirui told VOA they have recovered dozens of bodies, and some of the survivors were admitted to hospitals in the area.
“So far, we have retrieved 45 bodies. We have not identified the gender of adults and children. Almost three villages have been swept [away], and a large number of people, 110 persons, have been admitted to several hospitals within Naivasha Sub-County,” Kirui said.
Kirui said it was still raining in the area.
Last week, the Kenya Red Cross warned of more rains, called on Kenyans to brace for more flooding and urged the population to take precautions.
Kirui said they have managed to clear the roads, but the flooding threat persists.
“The situation is now coming to a [sense of] normalcy, and the roads are passable,” Kirui said. “We are trying to remove the trees that have barricaded the roads, and now the roads are passable. I want to advise the members of the public within these areas that they should keep off from the floods. They should move to higher ground whereby they cannot be swept away by the water, because there is heavy rain coming, and it may not be good.”
More than 140 people have died in heavy rains that have hit the East African country since mid-March. Thousands of people have been displaced. In Nairobi alone, 10,000 people have lost their homes, according to Reuters.
The death toll is expected to rise after a boat capsized in the Tana River in eastern Kenya over the weekend. The Kenyan Red Cross said it rescued 23 people from the boat, but more than a dozen were still missing.
The flooding has prompted the Kenyan government to delay the reopening of schools until next week. (With Agency reports).
