Kenya’s Interior Ministry has confirmed that flash floods and a landslide swept through houses and cut off a major road in Kenya, killing at least 45 people and leaving dozens missing on Monday (Apr. 29).
Operations have led to the rescue of some 110 people. The survivors have been dispatched to various hospitals within Nakuru County.
Reports initially attributed the tragedy to the burst of the Old Kijabe Dam, located in the Mai Mahiu area of the Great Rift Valley province.
Vehicles were entangled in the debris on the roads, and paramedics treated the injured as the waters submerged large areas.
Ongoing rains in Kenya have caused flooding that has already killed nearly 100 people and postponed the opening of schools. Heavy rains have been pounding the country since mid-March, and the Meteorology Department has warned of more rainfall.
Kenya’s Interior Minister, Kithure Kindiki, ordered the inspection of all public and private dams and water reservoirs within 24 hours, starting Monday afternoon, to avert future incidents. The ministry said recommendations for evacuations and resettlement would be made after the inspection.
The Kenya National Highways Authority issued an alert warning motorists to brace for heavy traffic and debris that blocked roads.
The wider East African region is experiencing flooding due to the heavy rains, and 155 people have reportedly died in Tanzania, while more than 200,000 people are affected in neighboring Burundi.
A boat capsized in Kenya’s northern Garissa county on Sunday night, and the Kenyan Red Cross said it had rescued 23 people, but more than a dozen people were still missing.
Kenya’s main airport was flooded on Saturday, forcing some flights to be diverted, as videos of a flooded runway, terminals, and cargo section were shared online.
More than 200,000 people across Kenya have been hit by the floods, with houses in flood-prone areas submerged and people seeking refuge in schools.
President William Ruto had instructed the National Youth Service to provide land for use as a temporary camp for those affected.
