Six feared dead in Hell’s Gate floods

At least six people are feared dead after they were reportedly swept away by floods at Hell’s Gate in Naivasha.

This was after a body of a woman of Asian origin, was recovered miles away at Suswa town.

Among the six who are missing, five were tourists while one was their tour guide.

One of the survivors alerted officers from Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) manning the park, after managing to escape from the ragging floods in gorges.

According to a source, the victims were local tourists who had gone for an excursion.

“We received reports of flooding in the gorges from a survivor, we managed to rescue him but six others are still missing, “said an officer at the Hells Gate National Park, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on behalf of the management.

The survivor revealed that his wife was among the six swept away by the floods.

According to authorities the incident occurred at around 4 pm, after rains pounded the areas of Mt. Longonot and Kingdom.

The officer told the Standard on telephone that search and rescue efforts were underway but water levels were high in the gorges, slowing down the process.

Nakuru County Police Commander Stephen Matu said they have deployed officers to the park to join the search and rescue team.

He had no details of the incident but promised to get back to us.

This is not the first time the park is experiencing floods. In April 2012, seven members of a Nairobi church youth group perished after they were swept away be flash floods.

The Hells Gate National Park lies to the south of Lake Naivasha and it is known for its scenic features.

It is an important home for rare bearded vultures.