Clinging to ropes, passengers escape bus swept away by Kenya floodwater

By Christophe Van Der Perre

TULA, Kenya (Reuters) – Passengers on a bus that was swept downstream by floodwater on Tuesday in Kenya’s east clung to ropes as they crossed rapids to get to safety.

All 51 people aboard the Nairobi-bound bus escaped after the vehicle failed to make it across a river swollen by flash floods.

Video showed many of them stranded on top of the semi-submerged vehicle for hours as they waited for assistance.

Record floods have killed dozens of people across East Africa in the last six months. Scientists say climate change is causing more intense and frequent extreme weather events.

(Reporting by Christophe Van Der Perre; Writing by Hereward Holland, editing by Ed Osmond)

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