Over 90 people have died in last week’s severe floods in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, with rescue teams still searching for victims, the local government announced Monday.
Thousands are now homeless after intense winds and rain battered the impoverished region.
President Cyril Ramaphosa attributed the “catastrophic disaster” to climate change, estimating floodwaters reached over four meters high.
The Eastern Cape government confirmed 90 fatalities, including 30 children; six were on a school bus swept away, though three students clung to trees and were rescued.
Approximately 2,686 residents are now homeless, housed in temporary shelters.
Mthatha, near Nelson Mandela’s birthplace, was the worst-hit city, with thousands of homes, roads, schools, and health facilities submerged.
Some residents escaped to roofs, but others were trapped overnight.
Ramaphosa noted “unprecedented” weather, as South Africa is highly vulnerable to increasing extreme weather dueaks and climate change, according to the Green Climate Fund.
