More than 40 people have died in Kenya after a dam burst following heavy rains and flooding, officials have said. People in villages near Mai Mahiu, about 60km (37 miles) from the capital, Nairobi, were swept away as they slept.
“Forty-two dead, it’s a conservative estimate. There are still more in the mud,” Nakuru county governor Susan Kihika told AFP news agency.
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 several villages, including Kamuchiri and Kianugu in Nakuru county.
Of the 42 bodies recovered so far, 17 were of children, police commander Stephen Kirui said, cited by Reuters news agency. The government has delayed the opening of schools across Kenya with more rain expected to come, according to forecasters.
More than 130,000 people have been displaced by the floods, with many people taking shelter in schools. Heavy rains have also pounded neighbouring Tanzania and Burundi.
At least 155 people have been killed in Tanzania since January.
Credit: bbc.com
