Floodwaters claim 49 lives in the EC

MTHATHA - With the death toll from the Eastern Cape floods now at 49, the provincial government says it has mobilised all departments to help manage the crisis.

The announcement came from Premier Oscar Mabuyane, who spent the day alongside search and rescue teams at the Cicira River, where crews continue to look for children swept away when a 22-seater scholar transport minibus was torn from the R61 by floodwaters.

Throughout the day, paramedics and rescue teams recovered the bodies of children and other people washed away by the strong currents.

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From first light, community volunteers, families, friends and neighbours gathered to join emergency teams in the ongoing search for victims swept away over the last two days.

The operation expanded across multiple points of the Cicira River, each location yielding more bodies, each moment heavy with loss.

The provincial government, working in conjunction with the Departments of Health, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements, has pledged its full support to those affected, committing to a coordinated response to the disaster.

 “I have called for the suspension of other government programmes in the province to be able to provide the firsthand support and be able to as mop-up operations begin in earnest,” said Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane.

For now, what began as a rescue mission is transitioning into a recovery operation, as more families wait for answers.