Kenyan dam bursts causing 'huge destruction', deaths - official

Volunteers search for survivers in a residential area after Patel dam burst its bank at Solai, about 40 kilometres north of Nakuru, Kenya, on May 10, 2018. 
Image: AFP

A dam burst overnight in a Kenyan town after heavy rain, causing "huge destruction" and deaths, a government official said on Thursday.

The burst happened in Solai, Nakuru county, 190 km (120 miles) northwest of the capital, Nairobi, late on Wednesday.

"The water has caused huge destruction of both life and property. The extent of the damage has yet to be ascertained," Lee Kinyajui, governor of Nakuru, said in a statement.

Kenya Red Cross said on Twitter it had so far rescued 39 people. 

People gather around victim's bodies at a residential area after Patel dam burst its bank at Solai, about 40 kilometres north of Nakuru, Kenya, on May 10, 2018. 
Image: AFP