Kenya’s Hell’s Gate National Park is closed until further notice following the deaths of six people who swept away in a flash flood.
The incident occurred on Sunday in the Rift Valley, some 69 km northwest of the capital, Nairobi, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said on its Twitter account.
“Six bodies of the flash flood victims have been recovered, having one tourist missing. The search and rescue operation continues as we reach out to next of kin to share details of the sad incident and plan together next course of action,” KWS tweeted on Monday.
Naivasha Sub-County Commissioner Mathioya Mbogo said the seven who were swept away were all Kenyans and six had visited the park from the western city of Kisumu.
The victims were in a group of 13 tourists on an excursion inside the Ol-Jorowa Gorge.
The park is famous for its gorges, cliffs and steam plumes from geothermal activity underground, and in areas adjacent to it, the steam is harnessed to generate electricity.
Gorges in the park are prone to flash floods and have in the past killed visitors. In 2012, floods killed seven who were part of a church group on a trek.
