Nairobi, Kenya (CNN) At least 45 people have died after a dam burst in Kenya after weeks of torrential rain, officials said Friday.

Forty people remain missing in affected areas, according to Lee Kinyanjui, the governor of Nakuru County.

The Kenya Red Cross estimated that up to 500 families have been hit by the disaster, which took place in Solai, near the Rift Valley town of Nakuru, about 150 kilometers (93 miles) northwest of the capital of Nairobi.

According to Kinyanjui, the Patel Dam burst its banks following heavy rains at around nine pm Wednesday, sweeping away homes in the community.

Those affected by the dam, which is on a commercial farm, are "mostly workers and small-scale farmers", he said.

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