The search for four men who drowned in the swollen River Athi was hampered by strong tides on Thursday.
The four were in the company of two others who managed to swim to safety.
They drowned on Tuesday evening after their boat capsized as they were crossing the river, which has burst its banks in Ngoliba, Thika East.
Thika East security committee chairman Thomas Sankei said the four men worked along the river and were crossing to tie a rope on the other side to stabilise their boat.
“They ferry people across the river with their boat and on the fateful day the river had burst its banks following heavy rain pounding regions upstream. The heavy water waves overwhelmed their boat on reaching the middle of the river,” Sankei said.
The deputy county commissioner who spoke to the Star on phone on Thursday said the four had been warned by a local chief against crossing the swollen river but they ignored him.
“They’ve worked on this river for years and probably they thought they knew it well but unfortunately they failed and drowned,” he said.
Sankei said a search mounted by the Kiambu fire rescue team faced a myriad of hurdles and the operation proved futile on the third day.
Huge tides stopped the rescuers from searching for the bodies.
“We suspect that the bodies have been trapped by huge rocks or boulders in the river if they haven’t been washed downstream by the water,” he said.
The DCC said expert divers would be called in to assist in the search mission, adding that it had proved difficult for the police and fire rescue teams.
Florence Njeri, a Kiambu county fire rescue team official, said they were "doing everything in our might to retrieve the bodies of the deceased."
Edited by Henry Makori
