Death toll rises to 181 in heavy rains and floods in Kenya

International Desk: 181 people have died so far in floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in Kenya since March. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by heavy rains and flooding, the country's government and the Red Cross said on Wednesday (May 1).

British news agency Reuters reported this information in a report on Thursday (May 2). According to a Reuters report, houses, roads, bridges and other infrastructure were destroyed due to heavy rains, floods and landslides. The death toll from Kenya's recent floods has surpassed that of last year's El Nino weather-related natural disasters.

At least 48 people died in flash floods in the central Kenyan town of Mai Mahiu on Monday (April 29). Two bodies were found in the garbage on Wednesday (May 1), the Red Cross said. A Red Cross official said members of the military have joined the search operation with rescue dogs.

On Wednesday (May 1) morning local time, the country's government spokesman Ishaq Moura announced that the death toll rose by 10 more, bringing the total number of deaths to 179. Heavy rains last year followed East Africa's worst drought in decades.

Red Cross workers are helping rescue people trapped in flooded houses in Kitengela town, 33 kilometers from the capital Nairobi. They are also trying to rescue tourists trapped in a camp in Narok, 215 kilometers from Nairobi. The country's National Highways Authority said part of the highway to Kitengela and at least three other roads in the country were closed due to flooding and debris.