More than 40 people have died in Kenya after a dam burst following heavy rains and flooding, officials have said.

Homes were swept away and roads were cut off after the dam burst in Kamuchiri village in western Kenya.

“Forty-two dead, it’s a conservative estimate. There are still more in the mud,” Nakuru county governor Susan Kihika told AFP news agency.

More than 100 people have been killed in floods that have devastated parts of Kenya in the last month.

Rescue teams are digging through the mud in search of survivors in the village near the small town of Mai Mahiu, about 60km (37 miles) from the capital Nairobi.

Of the 42 bodies recovered so far, 17 were of children, police commander Stephen Kirui said, cited by Reuters news agency.

“The water came at high speed from Old Kijabe Dam and washed away many houses and vehicles. We have never seen such devastating floods since we were born here in Mai Mahiu. Very many people are still missing,” resident David Kamau tod the BBC.

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