Tourists were evacuated by air from Kenya’s Maasai Mara national reserve on Wednesday after more than a dozen hotels, lodges and camps were flooded as heavy rains battered the country.

Tourist accommodation facilities were submerged after a river within the Maasai Mara broke its banks early on Wednesday. The reserve, southwestern of the capital Nairobi, is a popular tourist destination because it features the annual wildebeest migration from the Serengeti in Tanzania.

The Kenya Red Cross said it rescued more than 90 people. The Narok County government said it deployed two helicopters to carry out evacuations in the expansive conservation area.

More than 180 people have died across Kenya since mid-March when the long rains season started, causing flooding, landslides and destroying infrastructure. The Metrology Department has warned that more torrential rains are expected this week.

On Wednesday, three major roads in the capital, Nairobi were temporarily closed due to flooding. The Kenya Red Cross rescued 11 people from a residential area – Kitengela – on the outskirts of Nairobi after their homes flooded overnight.

On Monday, a river broke through a clogged tunnel in Mai Mahiu area, some 90 kilometres west of Nairobi, sweeping homes away and damaging roads. The incident left 52 people dead and more than 80 others are listed as missing.

Search and rescue operations across the Mai Mahiu area are ongoing. President William Ruto on Tuesday ordered the military to join in the search. Locals say rescue efforts have been slow due to lack of equipment to dig through the debris.

The government has urged people living in flood-prone areas to evacuate or be moved forcefully as water level in two major hydroelectric dams rise to a “historic high”.

• An AP report