Bus swept by flash floods as it crosses river in Mandera

At least 30 people have been rescued after a bus was swept by flash floods as it tried to cross seasonal river at Gadudia in Mandera County Thursday morning. PHOTO | COURTESY |

What you need to know:

  • The bus which was headed to Nairobi got stuck in the mud and was then swept by floods together with its passengers.
  • The bus was said to be the only one from Mandera that was headed to Nairobi Wednesday.
  • A rescue operation was immediately started with the help of the Kenya Red Cross.

A bus was Thursday morning swept away by floods as it tried to cross a seasonal river at Gadudia in Mandera County.

The bus which was headed to Nairobi got stuck in the mud and was then swept by floods together with its passengers.

“Several people have been carried away but the rest are on top of the bus after coming out through the windows,” said Mendera County Commissioner Alex ole Nkoyo.

“The water level is coming down and we have formed a human wall to help rescue those on the bus and those who might have drowned,” he added.

Mendera Red Cross coordinator Ahmed Mohamed said at least 42 people had been rescued by 1pm while efforts to recue the other passengers were ongoing.

There were also unconfirmed reports that three people were feared dead.

He said the bus had 60 passengers, according to the passenger manifest.

The incident occured 35 kilometres from Mandera Town.

The bus was said to be the only one from Mandera that was headed to Nairobi Wednesday as other bus companies kept off the roads due to heavy rains.