Makueni drowning deaths climb to nine
An attempt by some locals to cross the flooded river in a lorry ended in disaster when the vehicle was swept away.
The death toll from Friday's drowning incident along the stretch of the Kwa Muswii River that cuts through the Kasikeu-Sultan Hamud road in Makueni County has risen to nine after residents on Saturday pulled more bodies from the water.
"We have rescued 14 people and recovered 8 bodies. There are 10 bodies reported missing," Makueni Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili told reporters at Sultan Hamud Sub-county Hospital on Saturday.
Ms Mulili said the Red Cross and Makueni County disaster management officials had shifted rescue operations to other rivers feeding into Kwa Muswii. We are calling on communities downstream to report any bodies they see floating in the rivers," she said.
They were among an unknown number of people who jumped onto a truck attempting to cross the swollen Kwa Muswii along the Kasikeu-Sultan Hamud road. Witnesses said they had been waiting for hours for the water to recede and had become impatient.
The scene of Friday's accident. Normalcy on Kasikeu-Sultan Hamud road has resumed.
"The lorry was carrying building materials to Kasikeu Township. The driver asked people to jump on board to make the vehicle heavier so that it could manoeuvre easily through the raging waters. It was soon swept away as we watched helplessly," said Robert Muuo, an eyewitness.
