Death Toll from West Pokot Landslides Climbs to 37

The death toll from landslides that struck two villages in West Pokot County on Saturday morning has climbed to 37.

The victims were buried alive in Nyarkulian and Parua villages following a night of heavy downpour.

15 bodies have so far been retrieved from the mud while a search for the other 22 is still ongoing, according to West Pokot County Commissioner Apollo Okello.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said military and police helicopters have already been deployed to scale up responses to the tragedy.

“The Government has deployed Military and Police Choppers to scale up responses and respond to the immediate needs of affected families. While rescue and recovery efforts remain the priority, a full assessment into the extent of damage caused continues to be a challenge due to harsh weather conditions,” he said in a statement to newsrooms.

While sending condolences to the bereaved families, President Kenyatta assured that every missing person will be accounted for and measures put in place to prevent further loss of life.

“I have directed the deployment of resources including rescue personnel from our various security and humanitarian agencies covering the Kenya Defence Forces, the National Police Service and Special Programmes to the affected region so as to provide mitigative action against further loss of lives. The operation will continue round the clock until the situation normalizes,” said Kenyatta in a statement.

“I have further directed Regional Commissioners in flood and landslide prone regions of our country to work very closely with our security and humanitarian teams to ensure that citizens in these areas are urgently moved to safer grounds.”