CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The death toll in floods in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province has risen to 57, a government minister visiting the scene of the disaster said Thursday.
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa said the flooding around the town of Mthatha in southeastern South Africa was “a real disaster and a catastrophe when we have so many people dying.”
Rescue teams had earlier begun a third day of searching for missing people after floods devastated parts of one of South Africa’s poorest provinces. Authorities had reported 49 deaths on Wednesday but said they expected that number to rise as rescue teams continued to work after the flooding hit the town of Mthatha and surrounding areas in the predawn hours of Tuesday.
The missing had included four high school students who were swept away when their bus was caught up in the floods near a river on Tuesday. Six students on the bus were confirmed dead, while three were rescued after clinging onto trees and calling out for help, according to the provincial government.
The floods hit the province after an extreme cold front brought heavy rain, strong winds and snow to parts of eastern and southern South Africa. Forecasters had warned about the damaging weather last week.
Eastern Cape provincial government officials had said Wednesday they believed people were still missing but did not give an exact number. They were working with families to find out who was still unaccounted for, they said.
On Wednesday, rescue teams brought bodies out of the water in blue body bags, while witnesses said many people had taken refuge on the top of buildings or in trees.
The floods centered on Mthatha and its surrounding district, which is around 430 kilometers (267 miles) south of the east coast city of Durban.
Officials said at least 58 schools and 20 hospitals were damaged, while hundreds of families were left homeless after their houses were submerged under water or washed away by the floods. Critical infrastructure including roads and bridges has been badly damaged, Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane said.
He said it was one of the worst weather-related disasters his province had experienced.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced he had activated the National Disaster Management Center to help local authorities in the Eastern Cape and said he would visit the area on Friday.
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