A volunteer attempts to unblock a manhole with his bare hands on one of the flooded roads along Rashid Ahmed Road in Mombasa yesterday. [PHOTO: GIDEON MAUNDU/STANDARD]

KILIFI: Some 170 people are marooned in Milore Primary School in Sokoke, Kilifi County, as heavy rains continue to wreak havoc.

The Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) said the area was inaccessible by road. Sokoke MCA Teddy Mwambire said a local chief, Samson Chai, was among the internally displaced people taking refugee at the school. The lawmaker warned that there was a threat of flooding in areas like Kafuloni and other parts facing the Indian Ocean.

A KRCS official told The Standard that "we have received information that the village has been marooned and people are trapped following heavy rains".

He noted that they still did not have adequate information about the remote village.

Police reports indicate that a section of the busy Mombasa-Nairobi highway was rendered impassable for hours following heavy rains that began on Sunday evening.

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The heavy rain in Taita Taveta which was accompanied by thunderstorm caused expensive damage in Voi town, Wundanyi and Mwatate sub-counties.

Key roads have been rendered impassable, forcing scores of passengers to spend the night in the cold. A pregnant woman was on Sunday night swept away by raging floods as the Coast region continues to experience heavy rains.

Police said Maria Adhiambo, 21, owned a salon near Maungu town.

"The salonist was crossing Kamwemba dam which burst its banks when she drowned. Her body was later found on Monday morning (yesterday) by residents who alerted police," said Voi OCPD Joshua Lutukai.

 FLOOD PRONE

The body was taken to Voi County Referral Hospital mortuary. And in another incident, a boda boda operator was swept away by floods in Mwatate town as heavy rains continue to pound the region. Mwatate OCPD Francis Mwangi said the rider was swept away at Mwatate junction, which is one of the flood prone areas. Mr Mwangi said the rider was, however, rescued by his colleagues.

"We had advised motorist plying the hilly Mwatate-Wundanyi road not to ply the route during heavy rains. The heavy rains pounding Taita Hills have caused floods downstream and it is dangerous to ply the route at night," he warned, adding that the Mwatate-Bura road had been damaged by floods.