NAIVASHA, Kenya, Sept 2. (Xinhua) -- A family outing to the world's famous Hell's Gate National park ended on a tragic note after six of them and their guide were swept away by flash floods on Sunday evening.
The six family members who were part of a group of 13 drove from the capital, Nairobi to visit the park that is known for its alluring landscapes including gorges and hills.
The accident came seven years after a similar incident left seven youths from Nairobi dead after been swept by the raging floods.
In the latest incident, the group of hikers that were accompanied by two guides went to the gorge after being assured that it was safe despite the drizzle.
Family members of the deceased who spoke to journalists in Naivasha narrated the horrific ordeal as the floods swept their kin one after the other as they watched at close quarters.
Ivraj Singh Hayer said he witnessed his wife slide and being swept away followed by his cousin, nephew and niece.
A grief stricken Hayer said all the hikers had been informed that the area was safe and that the guides would control them in case of an emergency.
He said although it began to drizzle, they had been told that it last rained in April and so there was no cause for alarm.
"We did not see any problem with us going down to the gorges and we met others on their way out so it was all safe until the unthinkable thing happened," said Hayer.
He said six of the family members jumped on one side and were lucky the floods did not get to them adding that the rest were all swept away in a horrific style.
"The guide was trying to save my nephew and they both slipped and were swept away by the floods," said Hayer.
The bodies of the dead were found about 30 kms from the scene of the tragedy following a major search and rescue operation conducted by local volunteers and a special team from Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Red Cross and Police.
Hayer's brother Dilraj Singh told of how he received a distress call from one of the family members and tried to call officers from KWS but no help was forthcoming.
"We have not received a call from KWS as of now and we are still waiting but we thank residents from this area for their tireless efforts to trace the bodies of our family members," said Singh
Aggrey Maumo, assistant director at Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Central Rift region led search efforts in the vast Suswa hills where the dead bodies were found kilometers apart.
Maumo said the tragedy occurred after heavy rains pounded the hilly areas of Longonot with stormwater finding its way to the gorges inside the Hell's Gate National Park.
While terming the incident as unfortunate, Maumo clarified that the park was safe for a visit by local and foreign tourists.
"We will not close the gorges contrarily to information out there and this should not deter anyone from visiting this park," said Maumo.
Maenka Ole Kisotu, a community leader, regretted the incident saying it was caused by human activities that had depleted the environment.
Kisotu said massive environmental degradation had taken place in the area with charcoal burning taking a toll on trees and shrubs that could act as a buffer against surface water run-off.
"There is no vegetation here and once it rains we must have casualties and our animals are not spared either," said Kisotu adding that reclaiming Kenya's protected areas is key to boost tourism.
