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The death toll from South Africa’s “unprecedented” floods rose to 341 on Thursday, as helicopters swooped across the southeastern city of Durban in a desperate search for survivors. With roads and bridges washed out by this week’s heavy rain, rescuers struggled to deliver supplies throughout the city, where some inhabitants have been without power or water since Monday. “The level of devastation of human life, infrastructure, and service delivery network in the region is unprecedented,” said KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala. “A total of 40,723 people have been impacted. Regrettably, 341 people were killed “he stated at a press conference. Rescuers were flown in and out of a small airport north of Durban. Air support was provided by the military and police, as well as a fleet of volunteers, private contractors, and schools.
However, one day after the rains stopped, fewer survivors were discovered, according to Travis Trower, director of the volunteer-run organization Rescue South Africa.
On Thursday, he said his teams had found only corpses out of 85 calls.
“It’s unfortunate,” he said, “but we do our best for as many people as we can.”
The government has not stated how many people are missing. Zikalala predicted that the damage bill would be in the billions of rands (hundreds of millions of dollars, euros)
Request for Shelter
President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the region a disaster in order to release relief funds.
Authorities said they had set up 17 shelters to house over 2,100 displaced people.
Durban’s poorest inhabitants lined up on Thursday to collect water from burst pipes and dig through layers of mud to retrieve their few possessions as they entered their fourth day without power or water.
There was a sense of despondency among the stench of sewage, which grew stronger as the rains that had caused so much devastation ceased and the tropical heat returned.
Protests erupted sporadically in some areas due to the slow restoration of services and a lack of relief.
The city government of Durban pleaded for patience.
“We understand our residents’ frustration and anxiety,” the company said in a statement.
“We are working as quickly as possible. Our teams are working hard to restore services. However, due to the extent of the damage to access roads, it may take some time to fully restore all services.”
