The death toll from devastating floods in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province has climbed to 86, with rescue operations ongoing around the hard-hit town of Mthatha. Police Minister Senzo Mchunu confirmed the rising fatalities Saturday, as teams continued to search for missing persons and retrieve bodies, including that of a teenage boy found two kilometers from his home.
Mchunu dispelled social media rumors that the disaster was caused by the release of water from the Mthatha Dam, stating the dam has no sluice gates. Nonetheless, President Cyril Ramaphosa has pledged an investigation into any possible dam-related failures.
The flash floods, triggered by torrential rains from an extreme cold front, unleashed a wall of water up to 13 feet high, sweeping away homes and lives in the early hours of Tuesday. Many victims were caught in informal settlements built along the riverbanks—areas that remain especially vulnerable due to poor infrastructure and limited emergency preparedness.
Ramaphosa attributed the severity of the floods in part to climate change, warning that coastal and rural regions in South Africa are increasingly susceptible to extreme weather. He referenced the 2022 Durban floods, which killed over 400 people and were similarly linked to climate shifts.
Authorities had issued weather warnings, but many residents were caught off guard. Critics have pointed to delayed rescue responses and neglected infrastructure as contributing factors to the scale of the disaster.
Children are among the dead, though officials have not released exact figures. With bodies still being recovered nearly a week after the flooding, the final death toll may yet rise.
Swifteradio.com
