Devastating rains that hit the Western Cape over the Heritage weekend have reportedly claimed a total of 12 lives.
On Tuesday, eight deaths had been confirmed.
Rescue officials helped six children trapped in three different houses in Strand, while a group of people were evacuated from a retirement village in Somerset West.
Emergency teams assisted with evacuations at Faure and Sandvlei in Macassar. In the Overberg region, officials said three people were presumed to have drowned.
In one incident, police found residents pulling the bodies of four boys from a local dam near the Klipfontein Mission Station informal settlement in Philippi on Monday. It is reported that a group of four friends aged between seven and 12 years old were walking through a pool of water when they were electrocuted after apparently touching illegally connected electricity wires.
Power utility Eskom extended its condolences to the families who lost their loved ones when they were electrocuted as a result of the illegal electricity connections during the storm.
Chapman’s Peak Drive, a route that attracts thousands of tourists because of its beautiful scenery, had to close due to mud slides.
The 72 children from Aliwal North Primary School who were trapped together with 10 adults have also been reported safe after being stuck in the Cango mountain resort, due to the rain, since Sunday.
In a statement, the weather service pleaded with the public to always adhere to weather advisories and warnings.
“The public is urged to regularly follow weather forecasts and warnings on television, radio, as well as on all social media platforms,” it said.
Charlotte Powell, spokesperson for the city’s disaster risk management, said on Monday that authorities had opened sluice gates at the Wemmershoek Dam.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa.
