At least 49 dead in South Africa flooding, students washed away in bus

Officials accidental decease toll expected to emergence arsenic authorities motorboat hunt cognition successful the country’s Eastern Cape province.

At slightest 49 radical person died successful dense flooding successful South Africa’s Eastern Cape state aft an utmost acold beforehand brought torrential rainfall and blanketed snowfall successful parts of the country, officials said.

Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane said connected Wednesday that the decease toll, provided by police, is expected to emergence arsenic authorities proceed to hunt for the missing.

“As we talk here, different bodies are being discovered,” Mabuyane told reporters astatine a briefing.

In 1 tragic incident, authorities reported the deaths of six precocious schoolhouse students who were washed distant connected Tuesday erstwhile their schoolhouse autobus was caught successful floodwaters adjacent a river. Four different students were among the missing, Mabuyane said.

Authorities recovered the schoolhouse autobus earlier Wednesday, but it was empty. Three of the students were rescued connected Tuesday erstwhile they were recovered clinging to trees, the provincial authorities said.

Disaster effect teams person been activated successful Eastern Cape state and the neighbouring KwaZulu-Natal state aft torrential rainfall deed parts of confederate and eastbound South Africa implicit the weekend. Power outages person affected hundreds of thousands of homes, authorities said.

Eastern Cape officials said astatine slightest 58 schools and 20 hospitals were damaged by the floods. Approximately 500 radical were taken to impermanent shelters aft their homes were washed distant oregon damaged, they added.

“I person ne'er seen thing similar this,” Mabuyane said.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa offered his condolences to the affected families successful a statement. His bureau said South Africa’s National Disaster Management Centre was present moving with section authorities successful the Eastern Cape.

Weather forecasters had warned for days anterior that an particularly beardown upwind beforehand was heading for the eastbound and confederate parts of South Africa, bringing damaging rains successful immoderate parts and snowfall successful others.