Nine dead in Eastern Cape as a result of flood-related incidents
Hundreds of Eastern Cape residents have been forced to evacuate their homes following days of flooding and snow across the province.
MTHATHA - At least nine people have died as a result of flood-related incidents in the Eastern Cape.
Hundreds of residents there have been forced to evacuate their homes following days of flooding and snow across the province.
Displaced families are being sheltered in community halls and schools in the affected parts.
Meanwhile, in Mthatha, search crews continue to comb through flooded terrain for children who were travelling in a 22-seater scholar transport vehicle swept away by a torrent on Tuesday.
Further west, the Butterworth water treatment plant sits submerged, with its vital pumps drowned by the very floods they were meant to manage. With the plant offline, thousands now face days without running water.
Eastern Cape government spokesperson Khuselwa Rantjie said, “The work of supporting displaced people and also rescue operations will continue this morning.”
In shelters, the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) workers handed out meals to affected families.
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Meanwhile, Gift of the Givers has heeded calls for assistance in the Eastern Cape.
"Our teams have been on the ground. Butterworth was the first local municipality district that was hard hit,” said the humanitarian aid organisation's Ali Sablay.
“As we know, OR Tambo, they were on a level 9 warning last night. There are many areas in Mthatha that are severely affected. We've pulled in additional resources from our Cape Town warehouses and Gauteng."