/ 18 June 2008

Four dead, hundreds rescued in KZN floods

Four people were confirmed dead on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast on Wednesday as a result of floods following heavy rainfall, rescue services said.

Four people were confirmed dead on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast on Wednesday as a result of floods following heavy rainfall, rescue services said.

Ugu district municipality spokesperson Brian Dube said two adults and two children (aged seven and 14) were killed in the floods.

One of the children drowned after he slipped and fell into a river in Hibberdene while walking to school. ”He was swept away and the drowning was confirmed,” said police spokesperson Superintendent Zandra Hechter-Wiid.

Dube said 250 people had been rescued. Rescue teams were still searching for three missing people.

Flood victims were being sheltered in community halls and provided with food and blankets.

Dube could not confirm that a bakkie was swept away, resulting in two children drowning. ”It could probably have happened in the north. We do not have a report on that,” he said.

Police search-and-rescue spokesperson Jack Haskins said some residents had to be rescued from rooftops.

An unnamed emergency medical rescue services official said the Umzinto bridge had collapsed but that no injuries were reported. Motorists travelling in the area were urged to exercise caution.

Durban’s East Cost radio reported that three people on a yacht off Ifafa Beach were airlifted to safety on Tuesday afternoon. The National Sea Rescue Institute reported that the crew were sailing from Port Edward to Durban when they ran into difficulties in gale-force winds.

Meanwhile, in Durban, hundreds of motorists were caught in traffic for nearly two hours on Wednesday as mudslides and water puddles were reported throughout the eThekwini region. A deep puddle on the Albert Luthuli Highway — near the Victoria Embankment off-ramp — covered two of three lanes and motorists had to be diverted into the third lane.

The Durban Weather Bureau expected the downpour to continue throughout the day. — Sapa