Kenya dam burst kills at least 42

Nairobi (AFP): At least 42 people were killed when a dam burst in a town north of the Kenyan capital Nairobi, the local governor told AFP on Monday.

The East African country is battling heavy rains and floods.

“Forty-two dead, it’s a conservative estimate. There are still more in the mud. We are working on recovery,” said the governor of Nakuru County, Susan Kihika.

The dam burst near the Rift Valley town of Mai Mahiu, washing away houses and cutting off a road.

Previously, officials said 76 people had lost their lives in Kenya since March, as heavier than usual rains batter East Africa, compounded by the El Nino weather pattern.

Several dozen people were killed in May 2018 when a dam burst in Solai, also in Nakuru County, during torrential rains and floods.