Floods in Kenya kill 10, disrupt flights at airport

Aid workers pulled bodies from floodwaters in Nairobi after flash flooding killed at least 10 people, washed away dozens of cars and disrupted flights at East Africa’s largest airport.

In the industrial neighborhood of Grogan, 34-year-old security guard John Lomayan looked at the body of an elderly man he knew, a roadside egg seller, who had been trapped under a drifting car when the Nairobi River burst its banks in Kenya’s capital.

“I saw the water carrying it from above,” he said, pointing at the road.

“We didn’t know where he was going. Only now do we see him under the car.”

A Reuters reporter saw three bodies being pulled from under the cars.

On Saturday, police said 10 people were confirmed dead following overnight flooding.

Scientists say global warming is worsening floods and droughts in East Africa by concentrating rainfall into shorter, more intense rainfalls.

The 2024 World Weather Attribution study found that climate change is causing devastating rains in the region twice as much as before.

Kenya Airways said rains had disrupted flights to Nairobi, forcing some passengers to divert to the coastal city of Mombasa.

“There are so many cars, so many things, I don’t know. Everything washed away. All the water… came from that river,” said a shocked Cedric Mwanza, referring to the Nairobi River.