Flooding Kills Hundreds In East Africa
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
NAIROBI (Worthy News) – At least hundreds of people are dead in Kenya and neighboring Tanzania after heavy rain hit several nations in East Africa’s monsoon season, authorities say.
In Kenya, 169 persons were reported dead and 91 missing late Wednesday, while some 200,000 were displaced across the country.
Tourists were also rushed to safety in the country’s Maasai Mara National Reserve, an area of preserved savannah wilderness along the Tanzanian border, authorities said.
Flooding in Tanzania caused by weeks of heavy rain killed at least 155 people and affected more than 200,000 others, said Tanzania’s Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa.
That is more than double the deaths reported two weeks ago as rainfall increases, especially in the coastal region and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city and financial hub.
Hundreds of people were reportedly injured as intense downpours continued across East Africa.
The prime minister told legislators that “the El Nino climate pattern has worsened the ongoing rainy season,” causing flooding and destroying roads, bridges, and railways
Flooded schools have been closed, and emergency services have rescued people overwhelmed by the flood waters.
The death toll was expected to rise as countries in East Africa saw dams breaking due to the heavy rainfall.
With heavy rainfall expected for at least another week, many people in East Africa now face more uncertainty.
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