Kenyan authorities on Tuesday said 51 passengers were rescued after the bus they were travelling in was swept away by floodwaters on a river bridge in northern Kenya.
According to Tana River county commander Ali Ndiema who told The Associated Press that the bus was still stuck in the river some 30 meters away from the bridge, although the waters are continuing to subside.
Ndiema said the road has now been closed indefinitely, adding that anyone found violating the order would be arrested and charged.
He said all passengers are accounted for. Police are looking for the driver of the bus who ignored passengers’ concerns and insisted on driving through the water.
Police said some of the passengers managed to escape just before the bus was submerged, while others climbed onto the roof.
The incident happened just hours after Kenya’s roads agency announced the closure of another section of the same road that was flooded after the Tana River swelled due to continuing heavy rains.
The government had on Monday issued a flood alert to residents of Tana River and Lamu counties after a dam upstream was breached by flooding.
