The torrential rains that have been raging in Kenya for weeks have caused the collapse of a dam near Mai Mahiu, in the Rift Valley.
At least 46 people have died in Kenya due to dam collapse located north of the capital Nairobi. The breakup occurred in the area of the city of Mai Mahiuin the Rift valley: the fury of the water has dragged with it numerous homes and flooded the main ones communication routesalso making rescue operations complicated.
The provisional death toll in Kenya is 29 adults and 17 children
The very serious accident was caused by torrential rains which have hit the area several times since March. The death toll is still provisional: the numbers were reported by Joyce Ncece, responsible for rescue operations in the province of Nakuruwhere the dam. According to available information, there would be 29 adults and 17 children.
Downpour had been predicted from the Kenyan weather services: on Friday 26 April the government had launched an appeal to the population to prepare. At the same time, the same executive had made it known that, starting from March, due to the floods 66 people had already died in the African nation.
The impact of El Niño on the torrential rains hitting Kenya
It will be necessary to verify what the continuation will be wet season, which began in March and should last until the second half of May or the beginning of June. On the other hand, this is not the first case: in 2018 the failure of a dam in the same province caused the death of 48 people.
In the’East Africa, this year the rains are combined with the effects of the meteorological phenomenon El Niño, which consists in the warming of the surface temperature of thePacific Ocean central southern and eastern. A contributing factor to bring heavy rains especially in some areas of the planet: the southern portion of the United States, Latin America, central Asia and, indeed, eastern Africa.
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