Seven individuals have lost their lives due to flooding resulting from intense winter weather affecting eastern South Africa, and several school children are unaccounted for after a minibus was carried away, according to government reports on Tuesday.
Three children were saved after spending hours perched on trees to avoid the rising waters close to the Eastern Cape city of Mthatha, which has been one of the regions most severely impacted by the storm that began on Monday, as stated by the provincial government.
Authorities discovered six bodies in the city, located approximately 800 kilometres (500 miles) south of Johannesburg, and a seventh body was found near a river in the rural area of Tsolo, the statement indicated.
The province announced that it had sent disaster management teams to help those affected by the extreme cold front, which also brought snow to various regions.
Reports from local media indicated that residents of Mthatha were stranded on rooftops amid frigid conditions early Tuesday.
According to reports, approximately 200 individuals took refuge in a community hall in Butterworth, about 110 kilometres away, after their homes in an informal settlement were inundated.
