Four people have died while others sustained injuries after a vehicle was swept away by flash floods on Thursday morning.
Matianyi OCPD John Sawe, who confirmed the disaster, stated that the incident occurred at Mutindi River in Mwingi after the vehicle being used was overwhelmed by the raging waters following a heavy downpour the previous night.
Photos of the tragedy showed that the car, a new double cabin, overturned after the bridge collapsed as it tried to cross the seasonal river.
Sawe further disclosed that the four were all male and were heading from Mwingi to Kitui West town.
According to the police boss, his team and red cross officers who responded to the matter, managed to retrieve three of the four bodies.
He remarked that the injured had been rushed to Mwingi Level Four Hospital while the bodies were taken to the morgue.
The OCPD declared that the search for the fourth body was ongoing as investigations into the matter had begun.
Two weeks ago, seven people were reported dead after a group on tour at a national park was swept away by flash floods.
The incident that occured on September 2 at Hell’s Gate National Park, claimed the lives of six Kenyans who among them was a local guide and a foreigner.
The seven were part of a 13 person group that was visiting the national facility.
Survivors from the calamity narrated that they were caught off guard after the water came out of nowhere.
Ivraj Singh Hayer, who was among the survivors, explained that he lost his wife, cousin, his cousin’s wife, niece and nephew.
“At around three o’clock , water came out of nowhere.”
“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.” expressed Ivraj.
Rescue operations were successful as the team in charge managed to retrieve all the bodies.
KWS through a tweet proclaimed that the guides were trained to detect flash floods within the gorge.
“Experienced guides… are able to alert tourists of impending emergencies and direct them to exit points.”
“Since the last similar tragedy in 2012, we have created clearly marked emergency exits along the whole gorge as escape routes in case of danger like the flash floods.” read the tweet.