NAKURU (Kenya), April 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) —More than 40 people have died in Kenya after a dam burst following heavy rains and flooding, officials have said.
Homes were swept away and roads were cut off after the dam burst in Kamuchiri village in western Kenya.
“Forty-two dead, it’s a conservative estimate. There are still more in the mud,” Nakuru county governor Susan Kihika told the media.
More than 100 people have been killed in floods that have devastated parts of Kenya in the last month.
Rescue teams are digging through the mud in search of survivors in the village near the small town of Mai Mahiu, about 60km from the capital Nairobi, local media reports say.
Naivasha Police Commander Stephen Kirui said that they had recovered 40 bodies from the debris on Monday, with a major search and rescue operation ongoing in the Mai Mahiu area.
“We have 40 bodies collected so far, and many more are covered by the mud. Many cars are also submerged,” Kirui said from the site.
The Kenya Red Cross Society, a charitable organization, said that the floodwaters originated from a nearby river that burst its banks on Sunday night.
“Several people have been taken to a health facility in Mai Mahiu due to flash floods affecting Kamuchiri Village,” the charity said. — NNN-AGENCIES
