Severe winter weather has caused deadly flooding in eastern South Africa, claiming at least seven lives and leaving schoolchildren missing after a minibus was swept away, the government announced Tuesday.
The Eastern Cape provincial government reported that six bodies were recovered in Mthatha, a city hit hard by Monday’s storm, with a seventh found near a river in the rural Tsolo area.
Three children were rescued after hours spent in trees, escaping the rising waters near Mthatha, located about 800 kilometres south of Johannesburg.
Credit: SowetanLive
The search continues for a minibus carrying schoolchildren that was swept away earlier Tuesday, though the exact number of passengers remains unconfirmed.
Disaster management teams have been deployed across the province to assist those affected by the severe cold front, which also brought significant snowfall to several regions.
Local media reported that residents in Mthatha were trapped on rooftops in freezing conditions early Tuesday.
Additionally, around 200 people sought refuge in a community hall in Butterworth, about 110 kilometres away, after their homes in an informal settlement were submerged by floodwaters.
