Kenya's rail operator halts cargo services to Mombasa port after floods
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Kenya's rail operator halts cargo services to Mombasa port after floods
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Flooding and landslides in Kenya's coastal region have halted rail cargo services to and from the port city of Mombasa, the state-owned rail operator said on Saturday.
Heavy rains linked to the El Nino phenomenon, followed by flash floods, have submerged towns across East Africa, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless.
In Kenya, the death toll from the floods stands at at least 46, and is expected to rise.
Floods and a landslide on the railway line between the capital Nairobi and Mombasa have forced Kenya Railways to close all-cargo services, it said in a statement.
The railway also moves cargo to other countries in the region, including Rwanda, Uganda, and South Sudan.
Kenya Railways said limited passenger services would continue.
Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics showed its standard gauge railway hauled 6 million metric tons of cargo last year, from 5.4 million a year earlier.
