Heavy rains cause fresh flooding in Kenya
- Africa News
Otaria Benjamin- 0
- 2 minutes read
Drivers experienced difficulties in traffic and some vehicles were seen stranded on the roads. / AA
At least 10 people have died in Kenya after heavy rains triggered flooding and landslides across several regions, police said Thursday.
Seven of the deaths were in eastern Kenya. Two bridges were damaged in Kwale County on the coast and in Kitui in the east. Landslides were reported in parts of Elgeyo Marakwet County in the Rift Valley.
The rains are part of Kenya’s normal March-to-May wet season. But authorities say intense downpours and already saturated ground have made flooding and landslides more likely.
A landslide blocked the Iten-Kabarnet road near Kolol, the Kenya National Highways Authority said. Repairs are underway, and traffic has been diverted.
Some residents in Nairobi said their houses were flooded.
The Kenya Red Cross said it has unconfirmed reports of missing people and marooned households in Mukuru Kwa Njenga, a densely populated area of the capital. The organisation is providing relief assistance.
The interior ministry has placed the lower Tana River basin on high alert. Heavy rainfall upstream has increased inflows into reservoirs within the Seven Forks dam system, raising flood risks downstream. The Tana River Delta, home to more than 100,000 people, could be among the areas affected, the ministry said.
SOURCE: Reuters
