- Two more flood victims were found in Mthatha, bringing the Eastern Cape death toll to 97 people.
- Over 4,000 people were left homeless as the government works to provide temporary shelter for survivors.
The death toll from Eastern Cape floods has reached at least 97 after two more bodies were discovered in Mthatha on Sunday.
A local resident spotted the bodies and immediately contacted authorities, according to Gift of the Givers rescue organisation.
“Two bodies were found, males, yesterday afternoon in Mthatha. Bodies were recovered by search and rescue teams,” said Ahmed Bham, the organisation’s head of search and rescue.
Later, more bodies were found.
“Just confirming that they found one more body now this morning. It’s a male patient plus minus; it’s actually a child plus minus about 15 years old,” said Bham.
Search teams continue their work more than two weeks after floods first hit the province. They are still looking for people who may have been swept away by the waters.
The disaster has left 4,308 people homeless across the province. The provincial government is racing to get survivors into temporary shelters while crews work to repair damaged roads and infrastructure.
“All three spheres of government are working flat out to help,” said Premier Oscar Mabuyane.
Mabuyane said support is pouring in from around the world as the province struggles to assess the full scale of the disaster.
Last week’s floods destroyed entire communities across the Eastern Cape. Many families are still desperately searching for missing loved ones.
The province held a day of mourning in Mthatha last Thursday to honour those who lost their lives in the floods.
Pictured above: The floods.
Image source: File
This article was updated to adjust the death toll to 97 from 94.
By Dylan Bettencourt
allafrica.com