Kenyan tour guide rescues 14 tourists after devastating floods in Maasai Mara
Three of the travellers were Brits.
A Kenyan tour guide helped rescue 14 tourists and 25 staff after major flooding hit their camp in Maasai Mara national reserve.
The group, including three British travellers, were staying at Talek Bush Camp when rising flood water put them in danger.
Tour guide James Apolloh Omenya, 27, sprung into action and led them to a higher platform, where they were later picked up by the Kenyan Red Cross.
Torrential rains have caused widespread flooding and landslides across the East African nation since the rainy season begun in March, killing at least 210 people and causing widespread damage.
James was asleep in his tent when his driver woke him up at around 1.20am to warn him about heavy rain and flooding, reports Sky News.
‘When I woke up our tent was literally floating,’ he said.
‘We stepped out of the tent and after a short while the water was reaching up to our waists.’
Realising the group could be in danger, he woke everyone up and initially took them to a room that was safer.
But with the water level rising, James feared the room may also soon be flooded and that they needed to find somewhere higher.
He said: ‘In the camp there are concrete water tankers that are about 27ft (8.2m) above the ground on a platform – so I went and got a ladder and moved it up next to the tank.’
From here the group was rescued by the Kenya Red Cross at around 10.40am on Wednesday.
Some of the tourists were flown to Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, while a few decided to remain in Maasai Mara in the hope of finishing their trip.
Looking back on the rescue, James said it was important to stay calm and put people’s safety first.
CNN reporter Larry Madowo wrote on Instagram that the tour guide also swam to save the life of another who had been trapped by flood water and couldn’t be reached by a helicopter.
Speaking on Friday, Kenyan president William Ruto said the flooding across the country is expected to get even worse.
‘Sadly, we have not seen the last of this perilous period, as the situation is expected to escalate. Meteorological reports paint a dire picture,’ Ruto said on Kenyan television.
‘Kenya may face its first-ever cyclone.’
Cyclone Hidaya is expected hit Tanzania, Kenya’s southern neighbour, on Saturday, bringing with it waves almost eight metres high (26 feet) and 165kph winds (100mph), according to the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre.
Floods have killed more than 160 people in Tanzania since the beginning of April.
‘This cyclone, named Hidaya, that could hit anytime now, is predicted to cause torrential rain, strong winds and powerful and dangerous waves,’ Ruto said.
The US has also been hit by extreme weather, with numerous tornadoes plowing through Texas.
Video footage shows the twisters descend on the state on Thursday evening
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