Mother, her four children die in west Kenya mudslide

By Andrew Ross

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – A mother and her four children were killed in a mudslide caused by heavy rains in Kenya's westerns town of Kakamega Saturday, a senior police official said.

According to authorities in the region, rains have been pounding the country since April.

Kakamega police chief Tito Kilonzo told Anadolu Agency that local villagers had pulled out the bodies.

“The villagers were the first ones to arrive at the scene where they pulled out the body of a mother and her children, we believe that the mudslide was caused by the morning’s heavy rain,” Kilonzo said.

A number of people were also left homeless due to the damage that the mudslide caused in the surrounding areas.

The Kenyan Meteorological Department warned those living in areas prone to mudslides to vacate and seek shelter elsewhere.

Kenya is currently experiencing its long rainy season, which is expected to end in late June; so far more than 65 people have lost their lives since the heavy rains started in April.