A search and rescue attempt is underway after a private boat carrying an unidentified number of people overturned between Madogo and Garissa on Sunday evening.
The boat was transporting passengers for a charge across the flooded part of the Madogo-Garissa route when disaster struck.
Citizen.Digital obtained video footage of the tragedy, which showed many passengers on top of the capsized boat and others swimming in the roaring waves.
Residents stunned by the catastrophe were spotted standing motionless on the beaches of the surging waters, while others wailed and cried for rescue.
Another video showed the ill-fated boat ferrying passengers over the flooded Tana River before it sank.
The boat was overcrowded, and a second one made its way across the turbulent river.
Residents waiting by the roadside for a ferry stared helplessly as the boat capsized.
Some of the people aboard the boat attempted to swim in the roaring floodwaters, but the water overwhelmed them.
According to Citizen Digital, 23 individuals are still missing from the disaster as rescue attempts continue.
The Tana River has overflowed as a result of the torrential rains that have fallen across the country.
The Garissa-Nairobi route was shut off by torrential floodwaters in Madogo, resulting in a thriving boat industry that has turned catastrophic.