Kenya: 10 000 flee from floods
2006-04-18 15:09
Malindi - Heavy rains have sent a river gushing over its banks near Kenya's coast, forcing at least 10 000 people from their homes and destroying thatched mud huts and crops in impoverished villages, says a senior official on Tuesday.
A Malindi district commissioner Jan Ireri said that the victims had taken shelter with relatives and on the grounds of two public schools, together with their livestock after Sabaki River began flooding last week.
He said that it was not immediately clear whether there were any fatalities in the floods that destroyed at least 100 homes.
Ireri said that the displaced people faced food shortages after their crops and food stocks were swept away, adding that there were fears of an outbreak of waterborne diseases in the area.
The organisation's co-ordinator in the Malindi area, Ruth Muriungi, said the Red Cross was preparing to send tents, food aid, mosquito nets and medicines.
The floods caught residents by surprise because the region had been hit by a searing drought.
However, heavy rains upcountry had dumped large volumes of water into the river, causing floods as it crossed Malindi before emptying into the nearby Indian Ocean.
- AP