At least 42 people have lost their lives when a dam burst in a town north of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. The East African country is facing heavy rain and flooding. «There are still more bodies in the mud. “We are working to get them back,” said Nakuru County Governor Susan Kihika. Infrastructure collapsed near the Rift Valley village of Mai Mahiu, leveling homes and cutting a road.
Aside from this incident, almost a hundred people have died in Kenya since March due to the heavier than usual rains that hit this region, aggravated by the 'El Niño' climate phenomenon.
The country's authorities have estimated more than 37,500 homes affected, 5,700 heads of livestock lost and 130 square kilometers of crops destroyed, as published by the Citizen Digital portal.
Furthermore, the Kenya Red Cross has indicated in the last few hours that it has rescued 23 people after the sinking of a boat in the Tana River as it passed through the town of Kona Punda due to its flooding, before adding that there are several people missing.
The organization has indicated in a message on its account on the social network X that “23 people have been rescued and are receiving medical attention at the Madogo Hospital, while others remain missing.”
Thus, he detailed that the boat, which was transporting people who were apparently trying to flee the floods in the area, was traveling to the town of Mororo. “Our teams in Garissa and Rio Tana County are responding to this situation,” the Kenya Red Cross said.
At the same time that the rescue services continue to work, the Minister of Education, Ezekiel Machogu, has announced an extension to the opening of schools, originally scheduled for this Monday, but which will now have to wait until May 6 to resume classes.
“The devastating effects of the rains on some of the schools are so severe that it will be reckless to risk the lives of students and staff before weatherproofing measures are put in place to ensure adequate safety for all affected school communities,” he said. declared Machogu, according to the newspaper 'The Star'.
“Based on this evaluation, the Ministry of Education has decided to postpone the reopening of all primary and secondary schools for one week, until Monday, May 6, 2024,” he added.
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