Three bodies retrieved, 21 still missing in Garissa boat accident

Three bodies have been retrieved in a flooded area at Kona Punda along Garissa – Madogo road where a boat carrying 45 people capsized last evening.

The tragic incident happened at around 6:30 on Sunday making it hard for the rescue team to operate since it was getting dark and only managed to rescue 22 people.

The two bodies are part of the 23 people missing and rescue teams from the Kenya Redcross, Garissa and Tana River counties are already at the tragedy site.

Due to the closure of the road section connecting Madogo and Garissa, the people resorted to using boats charging Sh1500 for the short distance normally charged Sh30 by public service vehicles.

At the time of the accident, the boat was overloaded with at least 45 people. Police in Madogo have already condoned the area completely restricting people from accessing the flooded area.

Tana River has broken its banks following the heavy rains, which has caused many areas to be affected.

The Garissa-Nairobi highway was cut off by the raging floods at Madogo, leading to the booming boat business that has turned tragic.

Among those on site is Tana River Deputy Governor Mahat Loka.

In Homa Bay County, a woman and two children died in flash floods after heavy rains pondered the Sindo trading centre in Suba South constituency on Sunday.

The three who hail from the same family were swept downstream following the floods that started from the Kisaku areas in the Kaksingri West location.

The two children were aged 8 and 5.

They were swept by the raging floods when they were heading to the Sindo town market.

Their father was rescued by the residents after he got stuck on a log. He is at Suba sub-county hospital for medication.

The area chief Eliud Odeka said the raging floods emanated from the Sumba, Kisaku and Rang’wa hills as a result of the heavy rains.