At least 21 dead after flower-farm dam bursts in Kenya

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: Reuters

A dam burst in Kenya after weeks of torrential rain, unleashing a torrent of water that smashed into two villages, killing at least 21 people and causing “huge destruction”, rescue services and government officials said.

The walls of the Patel dam, situated on a flower farm on top of a hill in Nakuru county, 190 km (120 miles) northwest of Nairobi, gave way late on Wednesday as nearby residents were sitting down to evening meals.

The floodwaters swept away powerlines, homes and buildings, including a primary school, a Reuters photographer on the scene said, as rescue workers picked through rubble and mud searching for survivors.
...
Even before this week’s dam-burst, rains had killed 132 people and displaced 222,000 in Kenya alone, according to the government.



Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kenya-floods/at-least-21-dead-after-flower-farm-dam-bursts-in-kenya-idUSKBN1IB0JJ

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The Patel dam is one of three reservoirs owned by a large-scale farmer in the area.

Its walls are said to have caved in due to the high volumes of water following heavy rains that have been pounding the country.

Local leaders are now seeking to find out whether the farmer was licensed to erect those dams, amid concerns about the condition of the remaining two which are also said to be full, reports the BBC's Ferdinand Omondi in the capital, Nairobi.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-44065340

Flowers are a significant cash crop for export to Europe.

The latest updates say at least 32 were killed.

[JNelson6563]

1. More weather related deaths!

To know this will keep getting worse is very frustrating.

[Bettie]

2. Oh, how sad

So sorry for the people lost and displaced.

Hopefully, they can get some help rebuilding.

[riversedge]

3. may the families and friends find peace.

[dembotoz]

4. i guess this is why we have standards hey gop your private industry dam? Not so good huh?

[haele]

5. Our local Somali/East African community just held a flood benefit for the region.

Primarily for the floods in Beledwayne in Hiran Provence in Somalia near Ethiopia. The whole East African region has had record rains (rainy season is April/May - average is 120 inches) that started unusually early and have shown no indication that it is slowing down. Over 150 people known killed due to floodwaters and mudslides across the entire region - and it's probably under-reported due to lack of communication from the remote rural areas.
Most of the flood reporting is coming from Kenya, but there are severe floods all throughout - from the eastern DRC across to the Horn and the Indian Ocean.

In our area, HARO (Humanitarian African Relief Organization) is running most of the fund-raising and collections amongst the immigrants and refugee population.

Haele