A family of four were washed away during a rain storm at the Bhambayi informal settlement in Inanda, north of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), police said on Friday.
Superintendent Vincent Mdunge said nobody knew exactly when the incident happened but it was during Thursday night.
”Apparently the four members of the family were asleep when the storm started and washed the shack away,” he said.
Mdunge said it was believed that a 43-year-old mother, two daughters aged 26 and 18, and a two-year-old nephew were in the shack.
”They were all washed away by the storm.”
Mdunge said the body of the 26-year-old woman was found but a police search-and-rescue team was still looking for the other missing people.
Other parts of the region were also affected by the storm.
Mdunge said a fire was reported in the Siyanda informal settlement area at midnight on Thursday, which was apparently caused by lightning.
He said the strong winds damaged many shacks and an unknown number of people were injured.
Emergency services said the storm caused damage and flooded roads in the Durban area on Thursday night.
Netcare 911 reported that they were searching for eight people who were believed to have been washed off a bridge during a flash flood.
Spokesperson Chris Botha said the victims were allegedly on a bridge early on Thursday night when they were swept away.
”We are using two helicopters and various ground personnel in the search,” Botha said from the scene.
ER24 spokesperson Neil Noble said the two-hour storm at about 9pm on Thursday caused severe flooding and causing accidents and other disruptions in the Durban area.
Heavy winds damaged roofs and caused trees to fall across roadways. — Sapa