Flash floods sweep away tour group in Kenya's Hell's Gate

Four people have died and several others are missing after a tour group was swept away by flash flooding in a national park in Kenya.

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said that seven people -- five Kenyans, a local tourist guide and a "non-resident foreigner" -- had been caught in the flash flood Sunday in Hell's Gate National Park.

Search and rescue teams had initially recovered two bodies on Sunday but two more were found as efforts continued throughout the night, KWS said on its official Twitter page.

"Two more bodies were recovered overnight, bringing the total number of the dead from the tragic flash floods to four people," the service said Monday morning. Search operations are underway for the three people still missing.

"The gorge in Hell's Gate National Park has been closed to the public with immediate effect due to continuing rains," KWS said Sunday.

It added that a helicopter was being dispatched from the capital Nairobi, which is about 100 kilometers (62 miles) southeast of the park, to help with search efforts.

Hell's Gate is a popular hiking and cycling spot for tourists and locals and is known for its towering cliffs and gorges carved by a prehistoric lake.

The park's scenery inspired the 1994 Disney animation "The Lion King," and the 2003 film "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider -- The Cradle of Life" was shot on location there.