River overflows at the well-known Maasai Mara game reserve, trapping tourists as the number of people killed by floods in East Africa since March continues to rise.
Following a significant downpour, a river in Kenya’s renowned Maasai Mara game reserve overflowed, leaving about 100 tourists stranded, according to a local administrator, bringing the total number of people killed by flood-related tragedies up to 180.
According to Stephen Nakola, the sub-county administrator for Narok West, “about 100 or more tourists” were left stranded at over a dozen lodges, motels, and campgrounds on Wednesday.
“That is the preliminary number as of now because some of the camps are inaccessible,” he stated.
The well-known Maasai Mara in southwest Kenya is a popular tourist destination and home to a variety of natural animals, including giraffes, hippos, cheetahs, and the so-called Big Five (lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards, and buffalo).
More than ninety people had been rescued from the camps, some of them by air, according to the Kenya Red Cross.
The report on X stated that the floodwaters had “subsided” and that “tents have been swept away in some camps and the Mara bridge, linking the Mara Triangle and the Greater Mara, has been washed away.”
The three main sources of foreign exchange earnings for Kenya are tourism, agriculture, and remittances from the diaspora.
The government announced in March that tourism revenue increased by about a third in 2023 compared to the previous year, surpassing pre-pandemic figures.
Prior to this, on Wednesday, Kenyan parks and reserves’ tourism minister Alfred Mutua had stated that “several camps have been impacted” by the rain and advised all lodging establishments and camps along rivers to get ready “for potential evacuations.”
“Develop clear evacuation, transportation, and hospitality protocols,” Mutua stated.
President William Ruto issued the order just hours after ordering all residents of areas vulnerable to flooding to leave.
After those who choose to stay “will be relocated forcibly in the interest of their safety,” the cabinet said that residents in the impacted areas will have 48 hours to migrate.
Offering up prayers for the afflicted
According to government data, since March, flood-related tragedies in Kenya have claimed the lives of 179 individuals, including 15 children.
There have been 90 reported missing persons, which has caused concerns that the number could rise and more than 195,000 people could be evacuated.
Before dawn on Monday, a makeshift dam in the Rift Valley failed, causing torrents of water and mud to rush down a slope and engulf everything in their path. It was the worst single incident, killing around 50 residents.
Since the beginning of the rainy season, this catastrophe has resulted in the most deaths in the nation.
Global expressions of sympathy and support for the impacted families have been triggered by the calamity.
“At this time when a severe flood has tragically taken the lives of many of our brothers and sisters, injuring others and causing widespread destruction,” Pope Francis stated on Wednesday that he has expressed his “spiritual closeness” to the people of Kenya.
He stated, “I invite you to pray for all those who are suffering the effects of this natural disaster,” in front of a large crowd at the Vatican.
In Tanzania, a neighbor, the weather has also left a path of devastation, with at least 155 fatalities from landslides and flooding.
El Nino is a naturally occurring climatic pattern that is generally linked to increased global heat, causing drought in certain regions and excessive rainfall in others.
SOURCE: TRTWORLD
