Storms and flash floods flooded streets in Kenya’s capital Nairobi on Wednesday. Several houses were also washed away. According to an AFP report, at least 10 people have died in the natural disaster.
Heavy rains and flash floods have created conditions in the East African region in the last few weeks. Rainfall has increased due to El Nino. Roads and streets in Nairobi are stuck in flood waters.
The local police commander, Fred Abuga, said that 10 bodies have been recovered so far. Besides, several people are still missing. The county governor’s office in Nairobi said about 60,000 people were affected by the floods, most of them women and children.
The Kenya Meteorological Department has warned that the country may experience heavy to heavy rains until May. Police on Wednesday fired tear gas to disperse angry crowds who blocked a major road demanding government action to deal with the floods.
Kenya Railways said it is temporarily suspending commuter train services. According to the road authorities, four roads in the capital have been partially closed.
Kelvin Mwangi, an Uber driver based in Nairobi, said the city was at a standstill as most roads were flooded. He said, we are wasting a lot of time and in some cases we are not able to reach the destination on time.
Late last year, heavy rains and floods in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia killed more than 300 people. From October 1997 to January 1998, more than 6,000 people died in five African countries due to severe floods.
TTN
Tags: people died stormfloods Kenya
