A dam burst in Kenya late on Wednesday night, killing at least 32 people, Daily Nation reported. The incident occurred in Solai near the city of Nakuru, 193 km northwest of the capital Nairobi.
The Kenyan Red Cross said that 39 had been taken to hospital after Patel Dam in Subukia broke its banks, affecting nearby villages. More than 500 families were caught up in the deluge, according to the Red Cross’ estimates. Disaster management teams rescued 40 people from the mud and admitted them to local health facilities. A number of people, however, are still unaccounted for.
Witnesses told BBC that they heard a loud explosion before water swept through nearly 2 km of private farmland. “The water has caused huge destruction of both life and property,” said Lee Kinyajui, governor of Nakuru county. “The extent of the damage has yet to be ascertained.”
Today at around 9pm Patel dam in Solai, Subukia burst its banks. The water has caused huge destruction of both life & property. The extent of the damage is yet to be ascertained.
@NakuruCountyGov , Kenya Red Cross & local leadership are coordinating rescue operations.— Governor Lee Kinyanjui (@GovLeeKinyanjui) May 9, 2018
The Patel dam is one of three reservoirs that a large-scale farmer in the area owns. Its walls reportedly caved in because of high volume of water following heavy rains in recent months. According to official data, 152 people have died across the country since March because of the heavy rainfall, BBC reported.
The local people are now concerned about the condition of the other two dams, which are also reportedly full. Teams from the national and provincial governments were scheduled to assess them on Thursday morning.
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