Two people have been confirmed dead and five others are missing after a tour group was swept away by a flash flood during heavy rains in a Kenyan national park.

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said the incident at Hell’s Gate National Park involved five Kenyan nationals, a local tour guide and a “foreigner”.

Two bodies were recovered during a search-and-rescue operation, which is still under way.

The park has now been closed.

AFP news agency reports that the missing and dead were part of a 12-strong group that were visiting Hells Gate, about 60 miles (100km) north-west of the capital Nairobi.

Local media report that a survivor from the group alerted park rangers after the incident took place, and a search party and helicopter were dispatched to the scene.

A police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that the rest of the missing were “presumed dead”, based on witness accounts from survivors.

Hell’s Gate, named after a narrow break in its cliffs, was once the tributary of a prehistoric lake and its downhill gorges are prone to flooding.

It is the site of spectacular scenery which inspired the hit Disney animation film The Lion King.

The park, set up in 1984, also houses three geothermal stations. (BBC)

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