At least 49 people have died with the toll expected to rise, according to response officials. The floods, on 10 June, devastated one of South Africa’s poorest provinces, the largely rural Eastern Cape province in the southeast of the country after an especially strong weather front brought heavy rains, gale-force winds, and snow. “We are saddened by the loss of life, and our hearts go out to those still searching for missing family members,” said Pillay. “As the third day of search-and-rescue continues, we pray for the emergency responders, for churches and neighbors who are helping in ways we may never know, and for those who will struggle on a long road to recovery.” Eastern Cape provincial government officials said hundreds of families were left homeless and in temporary shelters in that province after their houses were washed away or broken apart. At least 58 schools and 20 hospitals were damaged by the floods. The death toll included six high school students who were washed away when their school bus was caught in floodwaters close to the town of Mthatha, which was especially hard hit and at the center of the worst flooding. Four other students are among the missing. Authorities are still working with families to find out who is still unaccounted for. Disaster response teams have been activated in Eastern Cape province and the neighboring KwaZulu-Natal province. There have also been reports of mudslides. Power outages have affected hundreds of thousands of homes in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. |
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