7 dead after flash floods hit Hell’s Gate National Park, Kenya

Seven tourists died after being swept away by a flash flood in Hell's Gate National Park, Kenya. The victims were identified as five Kenyans of Indian descent, an Indian, and their Kenyan driver. The park has then been temporarily closed.

Seven bodies have been recovered after a tour group was swept away by a flash flood in a Kenyan national park. According to the AFP news agency, the victims were part of a tourist group with 13 members who were visiting Hell's Gate, 100 km (62 miles) northwest of Nairobi.

Search and rescue operations were conducted after one of the members informed the park rangers of the incident. All of the missing seven have been found.

Ivraj Singh Haye, a survivor, told the media that his family stopped at the gorge for a washroom break before the flash flood struck. His wife and five other relatives unfortunately died.

"At around 15:00 UTC water came from nowhere and I had my phone and we were able to call the guy at the reception. The guide next to me shouted, "the water is carrying us away," Haye stated.

He further added that his relative tried saving one member after the other.

"We thought we were gone but then we just had hope and we pulled ourselves out and we climbed a very steep hill upward," he added. "We kept sliding down but we kept pushing each other, let's go, let's go."

Out of 13, only 6 survived.

John Waweru, the Director-General of Kenya Wildlife Services asserted that they will prevent such incidents from happening again by issuing early warnings. 

In 2012, seven church group members died in the same place due to flash floods. The area is most likely to be battered by flash floods during the rainy season when rainfall from nearby areas race across the limited space.

Featured image credit: NTV Kenya