No fewer than seven people have died and another seven missing after days of heavy rainfall triggered floods in and around the South African city of Durban, Local Government authorities said Friday.
Six people lost their lives in Durban and one in Port Sheptsone, a beachside town about 120 kilometers to the south. Rescue teams are still searching for seven more people, the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government said.
Authorities said they recovered the bodies of a woman in her 20s and a teenage girl in a canal in Durban to take the death toll to seven.
Around 70 houses have been destroyed and more than 100 damaged in the wild weather. More than 150 people have been left homeless, the provincial government said.
Local officials disclosed that some people have been taking refuge in schools and other buildings.
Heavy rains and strong winds have battered South Africa’s east coast this week. The unusual weather also resulted in a type of tornado called a “landspout” ripping through one area on the outskirts of Durban, with winds recorded at more than 100 miles per hour, the South African Weather Service said.
