South Africa : Dozens Killed In Floods, Lanslides

South Africa KwaZulu-Natal Province is in deep water following heavy floods that battered the eastern coast of the country, killing at least 59 people, damaging roads and destroying houses, prompting authorities to urge residents to stay home. Last Tuesday, a new storm left much of the city of Durban flooded. Footage from emergency services showed parts of a national highway resembling a river, with shipping containers dislodged and washed away. In Verulam, a township north of the city, two people were killed when a house collapsed overnight, according to a local emergency services team. Residents sought refuge on higher ground, climbing onto the roofs of houses, office buildings and a Hindu temple, according to rescue workers.
A bridge near Durban was swept away, leaving people stranded on either side. KwaZulu-Natal has experienced extreme rainfall since Monday, in what the Provincial government called “one of the worst weather storms in the history of our country” in a statement posted to Facebook, where it also gave the death toll. He added that “The heavy rainfall that has descended on our land over the past few days, has wreaked untold havoc and unleashed massive damage to lives and infrastructure.” The death toll is expected to rise as members of the South African National Defense Force were called in to assist emergency rescue teams in the KwaZulu-Natal Province, government officials said Tuesday. Along the coast, vacation homes and shacks alike were swept away in a part of the country known as a getaway for its ...