Kenya: 47 people died due to dam burst

A dam built to keep irrigation water has burst, resulting in a mud torrent reaching two villages in Nakuru county, Kenya. At least 47 people were found dead, with others still missing and many more displaced.

Aerial view of the mud torrent, click here for a video

Two months of heavy rain is causing havoc in large parts of East Africa. Allegedly over a million people in Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia and Uganda are affected. To date, in Kenya alone 158 people were killed and about 300,000 people were displaced by the severe weather conditions (Kenya Red Cross). The U.N. estimates 580,000 Somalians to suffer from the rain, in Ethiopia this number should be around 160,000.

The dam, one of a view in this area, is build by Solai farms, a major rose grower close by. According to locals, the dam was of poor quality and leaking prior to the disaster. Worries about its capacity were uttered before, making the question as to weather or not the company's owner, mr. Patel Mansukul, can be held accountable compelling.

For more information, see this extensive update at Reuters.