WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden urged the U.S. House to immediately take up Senate-passed supplemental funding for Ukraine and Israel on Monday as he hosted Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala in the Oval Office.
The visit came as Biden aimed to highlight the efforts other nations are making to support Ukraine. It followed the Czech government’s announcement that it is sending 1 million rounds of artillery ammunition to Ukraine, which Kyiv says is badly needed on the battlefield against Russia's invasion.
“As the Czech Republic remembers, Russia won’t stop at Ukraine,” Biden said. He appealed to Congress to pass the supplemental funding so the U.S. could do its part to help Ukraine. “They have to do it now,” Biden said.
Fiala praised the U.S. president for his leadership in support of Ukraine, adding, “We are also doing our best.”
He said, “In 1968 I saw Russian tanks in the streets of my town, and I don’t want to see this again."
Biden called the Czech Republican a “great ally” in NATO, as Fiala said his country's decision to purchase F-35 fighter jets from the U.S. will “make our cooperation and security much stronger."
Fiala told reporters following his sit-down with Biden that he will meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to further discuss Ukraine aid.
“The support from U.S., the help from U.S. is very important," Fiala said.
President Joe Biden, right, speaks as Prime Minister Petr Fiala of the Czech Republic listens during a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House, Monday, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Czech Republic's Prime Minister Petr Fiala waves as he arrives for a meeting with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, April 15, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Joe Biden, right, and Prime Minister Petr Fiala of the Czech Republic shake hands during a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House, Monday, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Flash floods and a landslide swept through houses and cut off a major road in Kenya, killing at least 45 people and leaving dozens missing on Monday, the Interior Ministry said.
Police official Stephen Kirui initially told The Associated Press that the Old Kijabe Dam, located in the Mai Mahiu area of the Great Rift Valley region that is prone to flash floods, had collapsed, carrying with it mud, rocks and uprooted trees.
But in a statement late Monday the Nakuru County said that the water mass that caused the flash floods was a clogged railway tunnel.
Vehicles were entangled in the debris on one of Kenya's busiest highways and paramedics treated the injured as waters submerged large areas.
The Kenya Red Cross said 109 people were hospitalized while 49 others were reported missing.
William Lokai told Citizen TV that he was woken up by a loud bang and shortly after, water filled his house. He escaped through the roof together with his brother and children.
Ongoing rains in Kenya have caused flooding that has killed at least 169 people since mid-March, and the country's Meteorology Department has warned of more rainfall.
Kenya’s Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki ordered the inspection of all public and private dams and water reservoirs within 24 hours starting Monday afternoon to avert future incidents. The ministry said recommendations for evacuations and resettlement would be done after the inspection.
The Kenya National Highways Authority issued an alert warning motorists to brace for heavy traffic and debris that blocked the roads around Naivasha and Narok, west of the capital, Nairobi.
The wider East African region is experiencing flooding due to the heavy rains, and 155 people have reportedly died in Tanzania while more than 200,000 people affected in neighboring Burundi.
A boat capsized in Kenya's northern Garissa county on Sunday night, and the Kenyan Red Cross said it had rescued 23 people but more than a dozen people were still missing.
Kenya’s main airport was flooded on Saturday, forcing some flights to be diverted, as videos of a flooded runway, terminals and cargo section were shared online.
More than 200,000 people across Kenya have been hit by the floods, with houses in flood-prone areas submerged and people seeking refuge in schools.
President William Ruto had instructed the National Youth Service to provide land for use as a temporary camp for those affected.
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People try to clear the area after a dam burst, in Kamuchiri Village Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, Kenya, Monday, April 29, 2024. Kenya's Interior Ministry says at least 45 people have died and dozens are missing after a dam collapsed following heavy rains. (AP Photo/Patrick Ngugi)
People try to clear the area after a dam burst, in Kamuchiri Village Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, Kenya, Monday, April 29, 2024. Kenya's Interior Ministry says at least 45 people have died and dozens are missing after a dam collapsed following heavy rains. (AP Photo/Patrick Ngugi)
People walk through an area swept away after a dam burst in Kamuchiri Village Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, Kenya, Monday, April. 29, 2024. Kenya's Interior Ministry says at least 45 people have died and dozens are missing after a dam collapsed following heavy rains. (AP Photo/Patrick Ngugi)
People gather near a damaged house after a dam burst in Kamuchiri Village Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, Kenya, Monday, April. 29, 2024. Kenya's Interior Ministry says at least 45 people have died and dozens are missing after a dam collapsed following heavy rains. (AP Photo/Patrick Ngugi)
A child walk through an area swept away after a dam burst in Kamuchiri Village Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, Kenya, Monday, April. 29, 2024. Kenya's Interior Ministry says at least 45 people have died and dozens are missing after a dam collapsed following heavy rains. (AP Photo/Patrick Ngugi)
People walk through an area swept away after a dam burst in Kamuchiri Village Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, Kenya, Monday, April. 29, 2024. Kenya's Interior Ministry says at least 45 people have died and dozens are missing after a dam collapsed following heavy rains. (AP Photo/Patrick Ngugi)
People try to clear a bus that was washed away after a dam burst in Kamuchiri Village Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, Kenya, Monday, April. 29, 2024. Kenya's Interior Ministry says at least 45 people have died and dozens are missing after a dam collapsed following heavy rains. (AP Photo/Patrick Ngugi)
People try to clear the area after a dam burst, in Kamuchiri Village Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, Kenya, Monday, April 29, 2024. Kenya's Interior Ministry says at least 45 people have died and dozens are missing after a dam collapsed following heavy rains. (AP Photo/Patrick Ngugi)
A child carrying a suitcase, walks, after a dam burst, in Kamuchiri Village Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, Kenya, Monday, April 29, 2024. Police in Kenya say at least 40 people have died after a dam collapsed in the country's west. (AP Photo/Patrick Ngugi)
A view of a swept away car after a dam burst, in Kamuchiri Village, Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, Kenya, Monday, April 29, 2024. Police in Kenya say at least 40 people have died after a dam collapsed in the country's west. (AP Photo)
A chair stuck in the muddy water after a dam burst, in Kamuchiri Village, Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, Kenya, Monday, April 29, 2024. Police in Kenya say at least 40 people have died after a dam collapsed in the country's west. (AP Photo/Patrick Ngugi)
People gather around a bus that was swept away after a dam burst, in Kamuchiri Village Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, Kenya, Monday, April 29, 2024. Police in Kenya say at least 40 people have died after a dam collapsed in the country's west. (AP Photo/Patrick Ngugi)
Children fleeing floodwaters that wreaked havoc at Mororo, border of Tana River and Garissa counties, North Eastern Kenya, Sunday, April 28, 2024. The East African country has seen weeks of heavy rains and severe flooding in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, as well as in the country's western and central regions. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
People cross a flooded area at Mororo, border of Tana River and Garissa counties, North Eastern Kenya, Sunday, April. 28, 2024. Heavy rains pounding different parts of Kenya have led to dozens of deaths and the displacement of tens of thousands of people, according to the U.N. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
A man swims from a submerged church compound, after the River Tana broke its banks following heavy rains at Mororo, border of Tana River and Garissa counties, North Eastern Kenya, Sunday, April. 28, 2024. Heavy rains pounding different parts of Kenya have led to dozens of deaths and the displacement of tens of thousands of people, according to the U.N. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
People cross a flooded area where another boat carrying a group of people has capsized at Mororo, border of Tana River and Garissa counties, North Eastern Kenya, Sunday, April 28, 2024. According to the Kenya Red Cross, over a dozen people have been rescued, while others still remain missing as search and rescue operations continue. Heavy rains pounding different parts of Kenya have led to dozens of deaths and the displacement of tens of thousands of people, according to the U.N. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
People cross a flooded area where another boat carrying a group of people has capsized at Mororo, border of Tana River and Garissa counties, North Eastern Kenya, Sunday, April 28, 2024. According to the Kenya Red Cross, 23 people have been rescued, while others still remain missing as search and rescue operations continue. Heavy rains pounding different parts of Kenya have led to dozens of deaths and the displacement of tens of thousands of people, according to the U.N. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
Paramedics carry an injured woman after a dam burst, in Kamuchiri Village Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, Kenya, Monday, April. 29, 2024. Police in Kenya say at least 40 people have died after a dam collapsed in the country's west. (AP Photo)
People try to clear the area after a dam burst, in Kamuchiri Village Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, Kenya, Monday, April 29, 2024. Police in Kenya say at least 40 people have died after a dam collapsed in the country's west. (AP Photo)
Paramedics carry an injured woman after a dam burst, in Kamuchiri Village Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, Kenya, Monday, April. 29, 2024. Police in Kenya say at least 40 people have died after a dam collapsed in the country's west. (AP Photo)
People gather on the main road after a dam burst, in Kamuchiri Village Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, Kenya, Monday, April 29, 2024. Police in Kenya say at least 40 people have died after a dam collapsed in the country's west. (AP Photo)
