MAI MAHIU, Kenya—The government said that on Monday, flooding in the town of Mai Mahiu washed away automobiles and buildings, resulting in at least 45 fatalities and over 110 injuries due to flash floods and a landslide in central Kenya.
The ministry of water subsequently stated that the flooding was caused by a river tunnel beneath a railway embankment getting blocked with debris. Initially, police believed the flooding was caused by a burst dam.
“The water [eventually] swept the railway line and started moving downstream with a very high speed and velocity causing destruction of property and loss of lives,” the ministry said. Two local residents confirmed the water ministry’s account.
“While 45 bodies have already been retrieved along the path of the flash floods and the landslide, search, rescue and recovery is ongoing,” Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said in a statement.
A vast stretch of rail track, an embankment, and trees pushed downward were all visible in the footage. Motorbikes and household items were being extracted from the muck by locals many hours after the rain stopped and the floodwaters started to ebb.
Screams and the shaking of the home he lives with his wife and two kids awakened farmer Joel Kuria.
“It was very dark, but we managed to leave the house in time before the gushing waters swept away everything including our livestock,” he told Reuters from where he was camped out in the town centre.
“The grumbling sound was scary and was worsened by screams of victims being washed downstream.”
With these new fatalities, the total number of Kenyans killed by flooding and torrential rains since last month has surpassed 140. There have been about 185,000 displaced persons.
President William Ruto told Reuters in an interview that around 10,000 people had to flee their houses in Nairobi alone.
