KENYA FLOODS – DEATH TOLL RISES, 10 FEARED DEAD

About 10 people are feared dead after a vehicle they were travelling in was swept away by flash floods in Narok South District.

The car which was carrying 10 people who drowned on Tuesday

night following flash floods in Narok South.

Photo/GEORGE SAYAGIE  NATION MEDIA GROUP

The four women, four children and two men, were trapped in the station wagon car at Olepolos Village in Ololulung’a Division on Tuesday night.

At least five survivors swam to safety.

By Wednesday afternoon, rescuers had retrieved four bodies.

Narok police boss Peterson Maelo said they are basing their estimates on names provided by relatives of the missing people.

“We are still combing the river for more bodies,” he said.

The overloaded station wagon, which is alleged to have had 16 passengers instead of four, was heading to Kotolian Village from Oolunga Market.

An eye witness, Mr Tome ole Tombol, said the vehicle was swept away as it was crossing the bridge.

“The 10 were trapped inside. The survivors swam to safety,” said Mr Tombol, who was in another vehicle behind the ill-fated station wagon.

“We alighted from our vehicle and yelled out to them to get out, but they refused fearing the heavy rains,” he added.

Two of the survivors are recovering at the Narok District Hospital.

Mr Alex ole Kiok, a survivor, said the driver stopped the vehicle due to poor visibility and asked the passengers to alight, but they refused saying they didn’t want to be rained on.

Villagers were still combing the banks of the river for the other bodies with area MP Korei Lemein and his Narok East counterpart Lemanken Aramat joining in the search.

Narok Governor Samuel Tunai cut short the governors’ induction course in Naivasha to seek the help of the Kenya Red cross, the military and the police in searching for the bodies.

Meanwhile, MPs Ali Wario (Bura) and Hassan Dukicah (Galole) appealed to the government and the Red Cross to send food, drugs and blankets to victims of floods in his constituency.

Addressing journalists at Parliament’s Media Centre, the MPs said thousands of people were suffering. He said a woman had drowned in the floods in one village.

In Lagdera, about 3,000 families have been displaced by raging floods in Shantabak, Gurufa and Baraki, according to area MP Mohamed Shidiye.

Meanwhile, transport on the Garissa-Mombasa and Garissa-Mandera highways has been paralysed after parts of the road were swept away.

River Tana has burst its bank following the rains that have been pounding the area for the last one week causing massive destruction.

Some villages have been cut off and hundreds of passengers stranded.

In Matungulu District, floods have rendered roads impassable.