Expectant woman, children missing after flash floods hit Taita

A search for a pregnant woman and her two children is ongoing in Mwatate, Taita Taveta County after their house was swept away by flash floods due to a heavy downpour that has left a trail of destruction in the area.

On Monday, the body of a six-year-old girl was found at the bank of Mwatate dam, confirming fears of the family and friends that the woman and her three children were indeed swept away by the raging waters.

Ms Sabina Rashid, who was seven months pregnant, and two of her three children are still missing and are suspected to have died in the floodwaters when their home was swept by the flash floods at Kirongwe village.

Family, friends and the whole village have camped at the banks of Mwatate dam as divers try their luck to get the missing bodies.

Her father, Rashid Mwamidi said he was informed that her daughter and children went missing on Sunday night after their house was swept away by flash floods.

He said he was informed by her neighbours that the mother of three locked herself in her house even after the gully near their house broke its banks and spilled over to their house.

"Her neighbours told us that the flood water went through the windows and swept the whole house away leaving behind a trail of destruction."

"I was called at night and told that my daughter and my grandchildren are missing. I travelled here in the morning and we are still searching for her body and that of her two children," he said.

Mr Mwamidi asked the government to help them find the bodies of his family members for them to give them a befitting send-off.

"We will get closure once we see the bodies of the remaining ones. Right now we are in a lot of pain," he said.

Mwatate sub-county commissioner Margaret Mwaniki said the search is ongoing at the dam.

Ms Mwaniki said they had received equipment from the county government and Teita Sisal Estate to dredge the dam to see whether the bodies were buried there.

She said the work was also being done in conjunction with officers from the National Youth Service.

"It's a multi-agency approach where we are working together to retrieve the bodies," she said.

At the same time, administration officers across the county have been moving around areas that are likely to experience flash floods, urging residents to move to higher grounds.

"Our chiefs are assessing the areas and asking our people living along gullies and riparian areas to seek shelter elsewhere until the rains subside," she said.

County chief officer for Special Programmes Harrison Mkala said the county government was committed to assisting families that were affected by the floods across the county.

"We pledge our support to the people affected but we urge our citizens to be careful by moving to safer areas," he said.

Ends