•The police have urged local residents to avoid unnecessary movement to avoid further disasters.
•As a result, DCC Sawe said the road has been declared a no-go zone until the water level recedes.
Image: SHABAN OMAR
At least two KRA officers have died after their vehicle was carried away by floods at Ramisi in Kwale County.
The two, a driver and one senior staff were heading to Mombasa from Lunga-Lunga when the tragedy happened on Friday evening.
Lunga-Lunga Deputy County Commissioner Joseph Sawe said the incident happened at around 7 pm when the two tried to cross the flooded Ramisi Bridge near the Kwale International Sugar Company Limited.
"The two had left the Lunga-Lunga one-stop border at 5:40 pm and rushed to head back home," he said.
However, the DCC revealed that when the two officers reached the Ramisi Bridge they were ordered by police officers deployed to man the area to stop but defied and decided to cross.
At this time, water was overflowing and overpowered the vehicle away with the duo still inside.
"The two were warned not to cross but convinced the officers to be allowed to pass but unfortunately the water was too strong," Sawe added.
On Saturday Kenya Revenue Authority issued a statement confirming the incident.
Acting Regional Coordinator-Southern Region KRA Lawrence Siele said that the authority has already engaged family members of the two officers and an intensive search and rescue operation by a Government multi-agency team is underway.
"Two KRA officers have since been reported missing after the vehicle they were travelling in was swept away by the raging floods," reads the statement.
KRA said it will continuously update the family members, its staff and the public on the progress and outcome of the rescue mission.
In addition to that, the authority said the safety and well-being of KRA employees remains the Authority’s priority and all machinery is being deployed for a positive outcome.
Rescue operations are ongoing to retrieve the two officers and the vehicle.
The police are looking for cranes, boats and all the machinery required to make the retrieving operation successful.
As a result, DCC Sawe said the road has been declared a no-go zone until the water level recedes.
"We have put roadblocks on both sides stopping commuters from crossing," he said.
In addition, the police has urged local residents to avoid unnecessary movement to avoid further disasters.
Sawe said the river water is still a threat since rain is ongoing in some of the areas.
The Ramisi River had broken its banks since Wednesday following the heavy rains paralyzing transport activities along the Mombasa-Lunga-Lunga highway.
Several rivers like Perani, Ramisi, Umba, Mkurumudzi, Mwena and Mbadi among others also broke their banks.