A dam burst in Kenya on 9 May after heavy rain, causing huge destruction and killing at least forty people. The breach happened on farmland 120 miles northwest of Nairobi. The dead are thought to include children and women trapped in mud. The Kenyan Red Cross says it has rescued some 40 people so far, and over 2,000 people have been left homeless. There are fears that the death toll could rise as the search-and-rescue operation continues. The Patel dam, one of three reservoirs owned by a large-scale farmer, broke its walls and swept away a primary school and hundreds of homes downstream, following the heavy rains that have been pounding the country. The toll now brings to 162 the number of people who have died countrywide as a result of the rains since March, according to official statistics. More than 220,000 people have had their homes destroyed.