Dozens killed after dam bursts in Kenya

NAIROBI — At least 42 people died when a dam burst its banks near a town in Kenya's Rift Valley, the local governor told Agence France-Presse on Monday, as heavy rains and floods battered the country.

The dam burst near Mai Mahiu in Nakuru county, washing away houses and cutting off a road, with rescuers digging through debris to find survivors.

"Forty-two dead, it's a conservative estimate. There are still more in the mud, we are working on recovery," Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika said.

Monday's dam collapse raises the total death toll over the March-May wet season to 120 as heavier than usual rainfall pounds East Africa, compounded by the El Nino weather pattern.

Meanwhile, the Kenya Red Cross said on Monday it had retrieved two bodies after a boat carrying "a large number of people" capsized over the weekend in the flooded Tana River county in eastern Kenya. Video footage shared online and broadcast on television showed the crowded boat sinking, with people screaming as onlookers watched in horror.

On Saturday, officials said 76 people had lost their lives in Kenya since March.

Flash floods have submerged roads and neighborhoods, leading to the displacement of more than 130,000 people across 24,000 households, according to government figures released on Saturday.

Schools have been forced to remain shut following midterm holidays, after the education ministry announced on Monday that it would postpone their reopening by one week due to "ongoing heavy rains".

"The devastating effects of the rains in some of the schools is so severe that it will be imprudent to risk the lives of learners and staff before watertight measures are put in place to ensure adequate safety," Education Minister Ezekiel Machogu said.

The monsoons have also wreaked havoc in neighboring Tanzania, where at least 155 people have been killed in flooding and landslides.

Agencies - Xinhua