Kenya Dam burst disaster kills at least 45 as floodwaters engulf homes trends now
Heavy rains in central Kenya killed at least 45 people on Monday when floodwaters swept away houses and cars in the town of Mai Mahiu, a government minister said.
Police said the flooding was caused by a dam on the Gitathuru River that burst, although two local residents said the water had actually broken through a railway embankment after a tunnel that had channeled the water under the tracks was blocked by an earlier landslide.
The floodwaters also carried away trees and railway lines. Hours after the rain had let up, local residents pulled motorcycles and household belongings from the mud.
Joel Kuria, a farmer, was awoken by screams and the trembling of the house he shares with his wife and two children.
'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 the town centre, where he was camping.
Police said the flooding was caused by a dam that burst, although two local residents said the water had actually broken through a railway embankment
Hours after the rain had let up, local residents pulled motorcycles and household belongings from the mud
One man's body was found washed up after the Gitathuru River receeded three days after heavy rainfall broke its banks
A woman and a man take mud and water out of their house in an area heavily affected by torrential rains and flash floods in Mai Mahiu
'The grumbling sound was scary and was worsened by screams of victims being washed downstream.'
Amos Kimani, a quarry worker, said he was awoken by the gushing waters, which forced him to escape through the roof.
'It happened so fast as one minute I was in bed and the next I was escaping through the roof,' he said. 'Thank God I am safe.'
Road and Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen told reporters that at
