ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat on Sunday expressed deep sadness following the death of people as a result of landslides that hit northwestern part of Kenya on Friday night.
Kenyan officials on Saturday confirmed that 37 people had died as a result the landslides that hit northwestern county of West Pokot following heavy downpour on Friday night.
"It is with great sadness that I learned of the lives lost after landslides following heavy downpours in West Pokot County in Kenya," the chairperson of the 55-member pan African bloc said in a twitter post on Sunday.
The AU Commission Chairperson also stressed that the latest "tragedy follows similar torrential rainfall and subsequent devastating flooding in South Sudan, Tanzania, Congo Brazzaville, Central African Republic (CAR), Somalia and Ethiopia."
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta had also sent condolences to the bereaved families in a statement, assuring that every missing person will be accounted for and measures put in place to prevent further loss of life.
The landslides caused a humanitarian crisis in the affected villages in West Pokot County that neighbors Uganda and South Sudan.
According to local media reports, the landslides also caused massive destruction of infrastructure including roads and bridges, hampering the rescue work.
Kenya Red Cross had deployed personnel to assist in the rescue effort. "We continue to assess the possibility of more landslides occurring in other nearby villages as the rains continue to pound the area." it tweeted.
Last month, a similar landslide incident in Ethiopia's Southern regional state had killed at least 18 people. The tragic landslide incident was induced by heavy rains on Sunday night, it was noted.
