The death toll increased to nearly 400, many people are still missing
This is considered the deadliest storm to hit the coastal city of Durban in South Africa as the death toll from the storm surges to nearly 400.
This unprecedented flood affected nearly 41,000 people, causing severe damage and causing at least 395 deaths.
“Sadly, the death toll continues to rise with the latest number being 395“, head of the Department of Disaster Management Sipho Hlomuka said in a statement.
The South African government has coordinated the search and rescue operation, and the official number of missing people in KwaZulu-Natal province is 55.
An AFP reporter said that a convoy of cars and helicopters carrying police experts set out early on April 15, passing through a valley on the outskirts of Marianhill, west of Durban, to search for them. 12 people were reported missing in the flood.
Travis Trower, director of the volunteer organization Save South Africa, said his search and rescue teams only found the bodies after following 85 calls on April 14, hoping Finding people alive is very fragile.
President Cyril Ramaphosa described the floods as “a disaster with unprecedented damage in our country” and called for Good Friday prayers for survivors.
A landslide, a bridge is washed away in Ntuzuma, on the outskirts of Durban, South Africa, April 12, 2022. (Photo: AP)
Thousands of survivors, left homeless after their homes were destroyed, are being housed in shelters scattered across the city, sleeping on cardboard and mattresses spread out on the floor.
Meanwhile, volunteers with gloves and trash bags scoured the city’s beaches to clear debris left by the massive storm ahead of an expected influx of visitors over Easter weekend.
Some of Durban’s poorest residents lined up to draw water from broken pipes and dug in the mud in search of their few supplies.
South African President Ramaphosa declared a state of disaster in the area, thereby opening relief funds.
Weather forecasters say extreme amounts of rain have hit the area over the past few days. According to South Africa’s National Weather Service, some areas have seen more than 450 mm (18 inches) of rain in 48 hours, or nearly half of Durban’s annual rainfall.
South Africa’s National Weather Service has issued a thunderstorm and flood warning in KwaZulu-Natal province over the Easter weekend.
“According to the warning we received, areas along the coast are forecast to experience heavy rain and strong winds from midday on April 15 to the evening of April 16,” said Hlomuka.
More than 4,000 police officers have been deployed to help with relief efforts and maintain law and order amid reports of a number of sporadic robberies.
South Africa is still struggling to recover from the two-year long COVID-19 pandemic and deadly riots in 2021 that left more than 350 people dead.
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