51 Killed, 1,000 People Displaced By Floods In South Africa
Devastating floods in South Africa have left 51 dead and forced more than a thousand people from their homes, according to an updated toll issued Wednesday as President Cyril Ramaphosa flew to the deluged region.
Heavy rains have lashed the southeast of the country, tearing down homes and ravaging infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces.
Speaking to the affected Amanzimtoti community in Durban, after returning from emergency African Union talks in Egypt on the crises in Libya and Sudan, Ramaphosa said “there are more than 1,000 people who are now displaced.”
He raised concerns about Free State province north of KwaZulu-Natal, saying that continuing downpours there were causing “risky situations.”
The government will set aside emergency funding to help survivors rebuild their lives, Ramaphosa vowed.
Fifty-one people have been confirmed dead so far, although local media have given a toll as high as 54, rising from 33 on Tuesday.
Rescuers on Wednesday continued to comb debris, desperately looking for people feared trapped by landslides.
