At least 250 killed in South African floods

DURBAN, South Africa－The death toll from floods that struck the South African city of Durban stood at more than 250, the provincial health chief said on Wednesday, a sharp rise from previous figures of 59 dead.

"As of late last night, we had received something close to 253 bodies in our two different mortuaries," Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu told eNCA television.

The provincial government said in a statement that the disaster "wreaked untold havoc and unleashed massive damage to lives and infrastructure" affecting all races and classes from rural areas to townships and luxury estates.

"This is a tragic toll of the force of nature and this situation calls for an effective response by government," said President Cyril Ramaphosa, who visited Durban on Wednesday.

In the township of Clermont, where homes are precariously perched on hillsides, he met a family who suffered the deaths of four children after a wall weakened by rains collapsed on them on Monday night.

"I have to come and see for myself the damage," Ramaphosa said as he consoled the family.

He was due to visit several other parts of the region pummeled by heavy rains in recent days.

African Union Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat expressed on Twitter his "sincere condolences to the families who have lost loved ones following heavy flooding".

Days of driving rain flooded several areas, tore houses apart and ravaged infrastructure across the southeastern city, while landslides forced train services to be suspended.

The rains have flooded city highways to such depths that only the tops of traffic lights poked out, resembling submarine periscopes.

They also have flooded city highways, torn apart bridges, submerged cars and collapsed houses.

Several stacked shipping containers fell like dominoes and lay strewn on a yard, while some spilled over into a main road in the city, one of southern Africa's largest regional gateways to the sea.

South Africa's public logistics firm Transnet suspended shipping at Durban terminals as did global shipping firm Maersk due to the floods.

The disaster management department in KwaZulu-Natal Province, of which Durban is the largest city, urged people to stay at home and ordered those residing in low-lying areas to move to higher ground.

More than 2,000 houses and 4,000 "informal" homes, or shacks, were damaged, said provincial premier Sihle Zikalala.

Rescue operations, aided by the military, evacuated people trapped in affected areas.

Fifty-two secondary students and teachers who were marooned at a Durban secondary school were airlifted to safety following "a long traumatic night, trapped", education authorities said.

More than 140 schools have been affected by the flooding.

Power stations had been flooded and water supplies disrupted－and that even graveyards had not been spared the devastation.

Agencies Via Xinhua