Heavy rain and snow have brought devastating floods to parts of South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, claiming the lives of at least 49 people, including several schoolchildren. The region has been severely affected, with thousands left displaced after hundreds of homes were destroyed due to torrential downpours.
Provincial premier Oscar Mabuyane described the situation as “so bad on the ground” and praised those who helped locate missing persons and alerted their neighbors when floods began. Rescue efforts continue to find additional survivors amidst the chaos.
In neighboring KwaZulu-Natal, 68 schools have been damaged but no fatalities have occurred. The Eastern Cape province has been worst-affected by the harsh weather conditions.
The bad weather has forced road closures in affected areas to avoid further casualties. State-owned power provider Eskom is working to restore electricity connections for nearly 500,000 homes that were left without power.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has offered condolences to families of those who died and urged citizens to exercise caution during the winter weather conditions.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgqwg9gej7o