Police recover four more bodies as floods death toll hits 66

The death toll from last week's floods has climbed to 66. [Xinhua]

The death toll from last week's floods has climbed to 66 after four more bodies were recovered during ongoing search and rescue operations, police said Sunday.

National Police Service Spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said in a statement that two bodies were found in Nyanza, with one each recovered in the Eastern and Rift Valley regions.

"As of today, the number of fatalities as a consequence of the floods has unfortunately increased to 66, including 50 men, eight women, and eight children," Nyaga said.

Nairobi County leads the count with 33 fatalities, followed by 18 deaths in counties within the former Eastern region. 

Eight people have been killed in Rift Valley, four in Nyanza, two at the Coast, and one in Central.

More than 200 families have been displaced from their homes, with infrastructure and property damaged across the country, Nyaga added.

The update follows a government warning of continued rains that heighten the risk of further flooding across various parts of the country. 

An alert from the Interior Ministry on Sunday identified 37 Nairobi neighbourhoods at risk of flooding, citing high population density and proximity to river corridors, including the Nairobi River, that are likely to burst their banks amid heavy rainfall.

Areas at great risk include the Central Business District, Globe, Gikomba, Eastleigh, and the Industrial Area, all of which sit along sections of the Nairobi River. 

Residential areas in Nairobi's North, East, West, and South zones are also at risk, lying along the upstream, midstream, or downstream stretches of the Nairobi and Ngong rivers and their tributaries.