A Kenyan dam that burst – killing more than 40 people – was illegal, the country’s water authority says.
The Patel dam was one of a number on a sprawling farm near Solai, 190km (120 miles) from the capital, Nairobi.
But none of them had a permit, a Water Resources Management Authority (Warma) spokesman said. The farm’s manager has denied any wrongdoing.
Dozens of people are still missing from Wednesday’s tragedy. There are fears that the death toll may rise.
It stood at 45 on Friday. Almost half the victims found so far were children. An investigation has been launched.
Warma spokeswoman Elizabeth Luvonga said the farm’s dams lack the necessary permissions.
“None of them have permits. That is why they are illegal,” she told Reuters news agency.
But the general manager of the farm, Vinoj Kumar, denied the accusation.
“All these dams were built about 15 to 20 years before. There’s no [nothing] illegal,” he said.
The bursting of the dam sent a reported 70 million litres of water towards the homes below.
According to Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper, the wall of water was about 1.5m high and 500m wide.
It destroyed everything in its path – including a primary school and power lines.
The dam, which is located on private farmland where flowers, macadamia nuts and coffee are grown, burst after heavy rains in the area, which continued into Thursday, making rescue efforts more difficult.
There are fears over other dams in the area.
Prior to the Patel dam disaster, official statistics said heavy rains had already caused 132 deaths across the country since March.
More than 220,000 people have also had their homes destroyed.
The downpours came after a severe drought in the region, which left millions in need of food aid and the soil unable to absorb heavy rain.
