Scores of tourists have been evacuated by air from Kenya’s Maasai Mara national reserve after more than a dozen hotels, lodges and camps were flooded as heavy rains battered the country.
Tourist accommodation facilities were submerged after a river in the Maasai Mara broke its banks on Wednesday morning.
The reserve, in south-west Kenya, is a popular tourist destination because it features the annual wildebeest migration from the Serengeti in Tanzania.
The Kenya Red Cross said it rescued more than 90 people.
More than 170 people have died across Kenya since mid-March when the rainy season started, causing flooding, landslides and destroying infrastructure.
The Kenya Red Cross rescued 11 people from a residential area – Kitengela – in the outskirts of Nairobi after their homes flooded overnight.
On Monday, a river broke through a clogged tunnel in the Mai Mahiu area in western Kenya, sweeping away houses and damaging roads.
Local people say rescue efforts have been slow due to a lack of equipment to dig through the debris.
As strong rains pounded the nation, over a dozen hotels, lodges, and camps flooded, forcing a large number of tourists to be airlifted out of Kenya’s Maasai Mara national reserve.
A river in the Maasai Mara burst its banks on Wednesday morning, submerging tourist accommodations. Located in southwest Kenya, the reserve is a well-liked travel destination due to its yearly wildebeest migration from Tanzania’s Serengeti.
Over ninety people were rescued, according to the Kenya Red Cross. According to the Narok County government, two helicopters were sent in to assist with evacuations within the large conservation area.
Since the beginning of the rainy season in mid-March, over 170 people have perished throughout Kenya as a result of flooding, landslides, and infrastructure destruction. According to the Meteorological Department, this week is predicted to see more rain.
Flooding forced the temporary closure of three major thoroughfares in Nairobi, the nation’s capital, on Wednesday. Eleven residents of Kitengela, a residential neighborhood outside of Nairobi, were saved by the Kenya Red Cross when their houses overflowed during the night.
Roads and homes were damaged when a river in the western Kenyan region of Mai Mahiu burst through a clogged tunnel on Monday. More than 80 people were reported missing and 48 people killed.
Across Mai Mahiu, search and rescue efforts are still underway. William Ruto, the president, gave the military the order to assist in the search on Tuesday. According to the locals, the lack of equipment needed to sift through the debris has caused a delay in rescue operations.
As water levels in two hydroelectric dams have risen to a “historic high,” the government has urged residents in flood-prone areas to either evacuate or be forcibly relocated.
