JOHANNESBURG: 12 people died in floods caused by heavy rains on the east coast of South Africa.
“The death toll is seven,” a spokesman for the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, which is at the epicenter of the floods in the Eastern Cape province, told AFP.
More than 2,000 people were evacuated from Nelson Mandela Bay, mainly from houses in slums in the municipality.
Local authorities have requested donations of clothing, food and blankets.
Near the port city of Durban in neighboring KwaZulu-Natal province, “Five people have sadly died in the worst-hit eThekwini metro and dozens are being treated for injuries in hospital,” the provincial government said in a statement.
In and around Durban in 2022, the worst floods in South African history triggered landslides that killed more than 400 people and caused millions of dollars in damage.
Rescue services were deployed in the two affected provinces on Monday night.
Photos released by authorities show flattened homes, flooded streets and fallen trees.
Power outages in some areas.
The National Institute of Meteorology said South Africa was in the grip of a “severe low” pressure system marked by heavy rain and cold weather that could bring frost, snow and strong winds.
