More than 400 people have died in South Africa as a result of heavy rains that hit the country’s east coast this week, a country official said Sunday (17). Rescue teams search for missing people in anticipation of more rainy weather.
Most of the deaths from flooding and landslides occurred in the region around the city of Durban, one of the main African ports in KwazuluNatal province.
1 of 3 A member of a rescue team searches a site destroyed by flooding in Dassenhoek, near Durban, South Africa on Sunday (17th) Photo: Rogan Ward/Reuters
A member of a rescue team searches a site destroyed by flooding in Dassenhoek, near Durban, South Africa on Sunday (17th) (Photo: Rogan Ward/Reuters)
“The death toll has risen to 443,” Provincial Minister Sihle Zikalala said at a press conference. About 63 people are still missing.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office said in a statement Saturday night that it had postponed a working visit to Saudi Arabia to focus on the disaster. Ramaphosa will meet with ministers to assess a response to the crisis.
2 out of 3 containers collapsed due to heavy rains in eastern South Africa Photo: Reuters
Containers collapsed as heavy rains hit eastern South Africa Photo: Reuters
Effects of global warming
The affected east coast of South Africa is identified by many scientists as one of the main regions of the world already feeling the effects of global warming.
Rainfall, hitting levels not seen in more than 60 years, collapsed bridges and roads, cutting off much of this Indian Ocean coastal region.
More than 250 schools were affected and thousands of homes were destroyed authorities estimate that more than 6,000 homes, including homes and informal housing, were damaged.
3 of 3 A road has been completely flooded by rains on South Africa’s east coast Photo: Reuters
A road was completely flooded due to rain on the east coast of South Africa Photo: Reuters
In a note, local NGO Gift of the Givers described “roads turning into rivers” and people trapped under collapsed walls.
Public railway company Prasa announced the suspension of its services in the area due to landslides and debris on the tracks.
Local authorities urged residents to avoid evictions and those living on higher ground to protect their neighbors affected by the rains.
The rains also caused major power outages, affected water supplies, and blocked roads.
Neighboring countries experience natural disasters from tropical storms almost every year, but South Africa is generally protected from Indian Ocean storms.
These rains were not tropical, they were caused by a meteorological phenomenon that brought rain and cold to large parts of the country.
It rained even more as the storms hit the hotter, wetter climate of the KwaZuluNatal (KZN) province, where Durban is located.