The number of people killed when flash floods hit Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal on Christmas Eve has risen to 14 following the discovery of more bodies on Thursday.
Another body was located in the flood-hit area on Friday.
On Wednesday, KwaZulu-Natal premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube sent her condolences to the families of the victims.
“It is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that I extend my deepest condolences and sympathies to the families of victims who lost their lives due to the heavy rains on Christmas Eve,” said Dube-Ncube.
Bellspruit Rivers bursts its banks
She said the flash floods occurred as a result of the Bellspruit River bursting its banks and causing water to overflow onto the N11 Road near the Limit Hill robots in Ladysmith.
The Bellspruit River runs under the Mbonothu Bridge in the area.
Bongi Sithole, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for cooperative governance, visited the area on Wednesday afternoon and promised that efforts to find those who were still missing would be intensified.
The search and rescue operations resumed on Friday morning in a attempt to locate more people who are still missing.
Members of the team, assisted by families also searching for their loved ones, are combing through the dams and rivers in the area.
The rescue teams have since urged members of the community to be cautious, especially in areas that are prone to flood disasters.
Counting the costs
This as the South African Weather Service continues to warn of heavy rains expected in some parts of the province and other parts of the country.
In November 2022, the floods in KwaZulu-Natal caused a severe impact on economic activity in the province, as they brought business operations to a halt in several industries, chairperson of the National Council of Provinces Amos Masondo said at the time.
Masondo noted that the floods came at a time when KwaZulu-Natal was recovering from the effects of the 2021 July riots, which cost the province over R20-billion and put more than 150 000 jobs at risk.
