Flooding continues in South Africa’s Durban area; 259 dead

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME
Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says flooding in the Durban area has taken at least 259 lives and is a “catastrophe of enormous proportions.” He said the floods are part of climate change. Officials said Wednesday that the death toll is expected to continue rising as search and rescue operations continue in KwaZulu-Natal province. Ramaphosa said the province is about to be declared a disaster area by the national government. Residents have had to flee their homes as they were swept away, buildings collapsed and road infrastructure severely damaged. Durban port was flooded and shipping containers were swept away into a jumbled heap. Authorities were also seeking to restore electricity to large parts of the province.