Officials said houses were destroyed and roads were swept away in Durban, a coastal town in the east of the country, on Tuesday. The provincial government in KwaZulu-Natal province, which confirmed the death toll, said the death toll could rise further. Heavy rains are expected to continue until nightfall in the coastal parts of the province. Image: Containers and roads were washed away Disaster management teams are evacuating people to areas hit by mud landslides and where buildings had collapsed, officials said. Several homes were swept away and several roads receded, affecting transport and rescue operations. People were transporting some assets that had been rescued to safer places as muddy water poured into the streets. Heavy rainfall could become more frequent The rains in KwaZulu-Natal also flooded a dam beyond its capacity, making it impossible for a hydroelectric generator at the Eskom electricity company to operate, boss Andre de Ruyter told an online news release. South Africa’s largest logistics and freight company Transnet, which operates the port of Durban, has suspended work at its terminals there as flooding destroyed a road and barred access to terminals. Floods around the east London coastal city in January killed at least 10 people and left hundreds homeless. Image: Residents began to remove the damage Scientists have suspected that climate change has exacerbated floods and droughts along the east coast. The South African Meteorological Agency declined to attribute the heavy rainfall to climate change, but said such weather could become more common. In 2019, the Ministry of the Environment drew up a plan for South Africa to adapt to climate change, which includes strengthening its preparedness to respond more quickly to weather disasters and helping victims recover. The Meteorological Department said heavy rainfall in KwaZulu-Natal would weaken significantly by tomorrow, but added that heavy rainfall would return on Friday and last until Monday.
