Kenyan boy trapped by floods saved in dramatic rescue

A lone five-year-old boy who had been marooned by floods was on Tuesday rescued by a police helicopter in Yatta, about 120km (75 miles) from Kenya's capital, Nairobi.

The boy "had been left behind by his father when the water level started rising," police said.

The International Centre for Humanitarian Affairs non-profit, which captured the boy's location using drones, had alerted the police, who then sent the rescue helicopter from Nairobi.

An initial attempt to rescue the child by boat had failed due to unfavourable weather conditions, the Kenya Red Cross said.

"The child, visibly shaken by the ordeal after being stranded for quite a long period, was safely rescued and taken to a nearby hospital for care," it added.

Heavy rains have been pounding Kenya and East Africa in recent days, triggering severe flooding and widespread devastation.

In Kenya, the floods have been recorded in 23 of the country's 47 counties, trapping dozens.

More than 188 people have been saved since the onset of the ongoing floods, the Kenya Red Cross said on Tuesday.

It added that the flooding has displaced 11,206 households, submerged 27,716 acres and killed over 4,800 livestock.

This article and image originally appeared on BBC News