Seven dead after ‘out of nowhere’ flood in Kenya

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Hell’s Gate National Park, Kenya, Sept 2 (AFP/APP):A tourist who lost his wife and four other family members in a flash flood in Kenya told AFP Monday the wall of water surged “out of nowhere” as they hiked to a popular gorge.

Seven bodies have been recovered since Sunday when floodwaters rushed through Hell’s Gate National Park, a weekend getaway from Nairobi that featured in “Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life”.

Six others from the hiking party of 13 managed to escape.

The violent torrent swept away five people from the same family — four Kenyans and an Indian resident.

Two other Kenyans — one a family friend, and another a hiking guide — also perished.
At least two minors were among the dead, a family member told AFP.

Ivraj Singh Hayer, who lost his wife, cousin, his cousin’s wife, a niece and a nephew, said it was drizzling when they arrived at the picturesque gorge and their guide advised them to stay at the entrance.

“Then at around 3 o clock, water came out of nowhere,” he told AFP.

“It’s still difficult for me to understand how exactly this happened. We were trying not to get caught by the water but my family, they were taken one by one”.

A police officer taking part in the recovery operation told AFP: “All seven bodies of those swept away have been found.”

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