Amid relentless downpours on Tuesday, rescue squads fought against the deluge to locate victims of flash floods in a South African province, where a toll of seven fatalities and 11 missing persons has been reported, according to officials.
According to a report by AFP on Tuesday, a mire of up to 10 meters (33 feet) deep surged through a Ladysmith district in KwaZulu Natal province, obliterating homes and sweeping away cars, as recounted by rescuers.
Six fatalities have been officially confirmed by provincial authorities, while the unsettling news reveals that 10 people are currently missing.
To the south, an overflowing river in Mandeni proved perilous, claiming three individuals. The IPSS rescue organization confirmed the heartbreaking death of an eight-year-old boy, while one man is currently missing.
The rainstorms that followed the late Sunday torrent in Ladysmith, 230 kilometers (140 miles) northwest of Durban, created obstacles in the search for bodies.
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Tereza van den Berg, a team leader for IPSS, said that the torrent ‘in places 10 metres deep” tore through a caravan park and carried away vehicles crossing a bridge.’
‘Nobody had a chance to grab anything,’ she said. Some of the cars were found three kilometres downstream.
Three bodies were found in a minibus carrying nine passengers. The other six are still missing.
Amidst the remnants of a devastated house, one body was found, while the status of two additional individuals who were inside remains undetermined and unaccounted for.
The toll rises with the confirmed deaths of at least two more individuals who were trapped in their cars, helpless against the floods unleashed by the Bellspruit river.
On Tuesday, the province was warned of an impending recurrence of severe storms, according to the forecast.
Worsening floods and weather disasters in KwaZulu Natal align with the global trend of rising temperatures.
A devastating storm in April 2022 left Durban, the province’s main city, reeling with over 450 casualties from floods and landslides.