At least forty-two people died in Kenya after the rupture of a dam north of the capital, Nairobi, the local governor announced to Agence France-Presse, while the country has been hit by torrential rains since March. with deadly consequences. “Forty-two dead is a provisional toll. There are others trapped in the mud that we are working to find,” said Governor Susan Kihika.
The dam burst near the town of Mai Mahiu, in the Rift Valley, about a hundred kilometers northwest of Nairobi, sweeping away homes and submerging roads, now cut off to traffic.
On Friday, the government called on the population to prepare for new, even heavier rains, and reported an initial toll of seventy-six victims who had died in floods since March.
The “long rainy season” began in late March in Kenya and is expected to last until the end of May or early June. In several East African countries, seasonal rains are combined this year with the El Niño climatic phenomenon, which began in mid-2023 and could last until May, the Organization warned on March 5 World Meteorological Agency (WMO).
In 2018, in the same county of Nakuru, where Mai Mahiu is located, the rupture of a dam caused by torrential rains left forty-eight people dead.
