Lucky escape for family which got marooned in flash floods at Nairobi National Park
A family of five was on Tuesday endured agonizing moments after their vehicle got submerged in rain water following flash floods at the Nairobi National Park.
It took the rescue effort of a team of Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) rangers to evacuate the marooned family, 10 minutes after the distress call was made to their main office.
According to the Senior Warden at the Nairobi National Park, Nelly Kendogor, the family of five consisted of three adults and two children, had embarked on a game drive around midday when tragedy struck.
“We received a call from one of the rangers informing us of their situation. Our team quickly responded and we were successful in evacuating the family trapped in the van,” Kendogor said.
Masai Mara yesterday.
The visitors were evacuated by @kwskenya Chopper.
The water came from nowhere marooning them pic.twitter.com/zZgLd0uFAE— Motorist Association (@motoristsoffice) April 25, 2018
The rescue team tied one end of a rope on the submerged van and the other end to another van that they came with.
The adults were then asked to hold on to the rope, using it to move to the other side. The children had to be helped by being carried by the rangers.
The family was reported to have been trying to cross to a different part of the park where the rangers had sighted some lions.
However, their journey was cut short after they were marooned by flash floods.
“I believe the ranger might have underestimated the level of the waters, since it had been raining non-stop for the last two days in Nairobi. However, we are glad the rescue mission was a success and no one was injured,” Kendogor said.