At least 40 people died in western Kenya after a dam collapsed on Monday morning, according to police. A wall of water crashed into houses and cut off an important road.
The Kijabe Old Damin the Mai Mahiu area of the Great Rift Valley region, prone to flash flooding, collapsed and triggered a flood that carried mud, rocks and uprooted trees, police officer Stephen Kirui told The Associated Press.
There were vehicles trapped in the wreckage on roads and teams of paramedics treated the injured while water covered wide areas.
The rains in Kenya had already caused floods and almost a hundred deaths, in addition to postponing the reopening of schools. Downpours have hit the country since mid-March, and the Meteorological Department has warned of more rain.
The Kenyan Minister of the Interior, Kithure Kindiki, ordered that to inspect all public and private dams and water reservoirs within 24 hours starting Monday afternoon to prevent further incidents. The ministry said it would make evacuation and relocation recommendations following the inspection.
The Kenya National Highways Authority issued an alert warning drivers to prepare for heavy traffic and debris cutting off roads.
Heavy rainfall has caused flooding in East Africa, with 155 dead in Tanzania and more than 200,000 affected in neighboring Burundi.
A boat capsized on Sunday night in Garissa County, northern Kenya. The Kenya Red Cross said it had rescued 23 people from the boat, but more than a dozen were still missing.
Kenya’s main airport was flooded on Saturday, forcing some flights to be diverted. Videos circulated on the Internet of a landing strip, terminals and a goods area filled with water.
Some schools were still “negatively affected” due to flooding, the Ministry of Education said Sunday night. Local media reported more than 100 flooded schools, some of which had suffered wall collapses or lost roofs.
The opening date was pushed back from Monday, April 29 to May 6.
More than 200,000 people have been affected by floods across the country, which have submerged homes in flood zones while people took shelter in schools.
President William Ruto had instructed the National Youth Service to provide land as a temporary camping area for those affected.
(with images from AP and Reuters)
