UN says 80 killed in weeks of flooding in Kenya

Says 2,44,400 people have been displaced, the majority of them in Tana River, Kilifi and Mandera counties, since the March downpour.

TOPSHOT - A picture taken on April 27, 2018, shows a boy reacting in floodwaters after the Tana River overflowed at Galili village in coastal region of Kenya. About 64 000 people have been displaced from the flooded area, according to the Kenya Red Cross. / AFP PHOTO / ANDREW KASUKU

The United Nations humanitarian agency says 80 people have been reported dead and hundreds of thousands displaced from their homes since March due to heavy rainfall in Kenya.

The U.N. statement says 2,44,400 people have been displaced, the majority of them in Tana River, Kilifi and Mandera counties.

Floods from seasonal rains hit as the East-African nation was recovering from a devastating drought last year that affected half of its counties.

Red Cross puts it at 100

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in a separate statement estimates 100 killed in the flooding.

It also warns that the floods could trigger or worsen outbreaks of diseases such as malaria and cholera.