Six bodies of the Hell’s Gate National Park flash flood victims have now been recovered.The six were among seven local tourists including a tour guide who were exploring the Ol-Jorowa gorge at Hell’s Gate when they were swept by flash floods on Sunday afternoon.
The Kenya Wildlife Service says a search and rescue operation is on-going to account for one tourist who remains missing.
“Search and rescue operation for three missing tourists underway in Hells Gate National Park. Two more bodies were recovered overnight, bringing the total number of the dead from the tragic flash floods to four people.”
The Wildlife Service also says it is reaching out to the next of kin of victims to share details and plan the next course of action.
The killer Ol-Jorowa gorge at the Park has since been closed following the tragedy. A similar incident was witnessed at Hell’s Gate in 2012, when seven members of a Nairobi church group drowned in flash floods at Ol-Jorowa gorge.
“Since the last similar tragedy in 2012, we have created clearly marked emergency exits along the whole gorge as escape routes in case of danger like the flash floods.The tour guides have also been trained to detect stormwater flowing downstream towards the gorge. Every group is usually accompanied by experienced guides who are able to alert tourists of impending emergencies and direct them to exit points.”
