A woman on Monday swept away by raging water as she attempted to cross a flooded section of the Garissa - Bura highway as road transport remain disrupted for the second day, leaving hundreds of passengers and motorists stranded.
The woman, whose details and names could not be divulged because the next of kin had not been informed, could not raise the Sh200 by young men charging commuters to assist them to cross the flooded road.
The body was recovered on Tuesday morning and taken to Garissa Referral Hospital mortuary.
The death brings the number to three the number of people who have lost their lives to the floods in the area after two children died in Bura when they downed as they attempted to cross a flooded area. Their bodies were recovered in one of the main canals at the Bura irrigation scheme.
Addressing the press on Tuesday Bilbil assistant chief Abdi Aden said the woman’s personal documents including her ID card were immediately retrieved but a card containing her name was recovered next to her body.
“We suspect the woman was traveling from Garissa to either Bura or Hola for business,” he said.
He said all perishable groceries and Miraa (Khat) could reach their destinations and had to be offloaded.
The assistant chief said no vehicle can cross the badly damaged four sections of the road and has seriously affected business along the route that serves the towns of Mombasa, Garissa, Wajir, and Mandera.
“Traders are counting losses running into millions of shillings. All goods and services along the major highway remain suspended,” he added.
Tana River county roads CEC Eng. Stephen Wachira who toured the damaged road section urged travelers and other users not to attempt to cross the damaged section of the road.
“The county administration is working closely with the Kenyan National Highway Authority (KEnHA) to make sure that the road is opened and operational as soon as possible,” said Wachira.