Nairobi: At least 42 people lost their lives after a dam burst its banks near a town in Kenya’s Rift Valley as heavy rains and floods battered the African nation, reported AFP.
The casualty number is likely to go up as the dam burst, near Mai Mahiu in Nakuru county, caused great devastation.
Houses, humans, animals, cars, electric poles were swept away while a major road was cut off.
Rescue and relief teams have been digging through debris for hours to look for possible survivors.
“Forty-two dead, it’s a conservative estimate. There are still more in the mud, we are working on recovery,” said Nakuru governor Susan Kihika.
Pictures and videos shared on social media showed incredibly damaging scenes of houses and buildings reduced to rubble, vehicles floating on water, dead bodies lying unattended.
Kenya has been experiencing wet weather since March, with around 80 deaths having been already reported from different parts before Monday’s dam collapse.
Flash floods have submerged roads and neighbourhoods, resulting in displacement of over 130,000 people from more than 24,000 households, according to government figures released a day ago.
The Education ministry announced on Monday that schools will remain closed following mid-term holidays for at least one more week due to ongoing heavy rains.
“The devastating effects of the rains in some of the schools is so severe that it will be imprudent to risk the lives of learners and staff before water-tight measures are put in place to ensure adequate safety,” said Education minister Ezekiel Machogu.
“Based on this assessment, the Ministry of Education has resolved to postpone the reopening of all primary and secondary schools by one week, to Monday, May 6, 2024,” he said.
Kenya and other African nations have been badly hit by El Nino, a naturally occurring climate pattern associated with increased heat worldwide, leading to drought in some parts of the world and heavy rains elsewhere.
The United Nations’ World Meteorological Organisation said last month that the latest El Nino is one of the five strongest ever recorded.
