Death toll from floods in Kenya rises to 174

The death toll due to heavy rains and flash floods in Kenya has reached 174, a government official said on Tuesday, reported Xinhua.

Government Spokesman Isaac Mwaura told journalists in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that despite the stabilizing flood situation, the country witnessed six deaths in the past three days from flood-related landslides.

"The National El Nino Emergency Center continues to closely monitor the flood situation in collaboration with relevant agencies and local authorities to mitigate the impacts of these recent incidents," Mwaura said.

According to government and humanitarian agencies, El Nino-induced heavy rains and flash floods have affected 38 out of 47 counties since October, causing severe flooding that washed away homes, marooned areas, submerged farmland, and led to livestock losses.

Mwaura said that the most affected counties by floods are Tana River and Lamu counties which are located in the southeast of the country where emergency response and relief supplies continue.

The Kenya Meteorological Department has forecast that unusually heavy rains which started in October will continue until January 2024.