Kenya evacuates tourists as death toll from flooding rises

Tourists and staff were airlifted from a national reserve in Kenya following severe flooding in the east African country.

“A few days ago we had the Mara River and the Talek River also burst their banks… So a lot of the tourists and camp staff had already evacuated the camps,” Marc Goss explained, the CEO of Mara Elephant Project Trust.

Most tourists in the Maasai Mara National Reserve in southwestern Kenya were evacuated before the downpour, authorities said.

At least 42 people have died, local media reported Monday. Most of the deaths occured in the capital, Nairobi.

George Seda, the police chief in Nairobi, said some of the victims died by drowning while others were electrocuted.

George Seda, the police chief in Nairobi, said some of the victims were drowned and others were electrocuted.

He warned that the death toll may rise as search and rescue operations continue.

The heavy rain began on Friday and continued overnight, submerging vehicles and forcing motorists in some areas to wade through hip-high water to reach higher ground.

Kenya has faced heavy rains since late February, which marks the start of the long-rains season.

Previous rain seasons have seen flooding, landslides and mudslides that have left hundreds of people dead and seen thousands of others displaced.