Death Toll in South Africa Floods Rises to 49 as Search and Rescue Efforts Continue

Deadly floods devastate South Africa's Eastern Cape, leaving 49 dead, homes destroyed, and many still missing.

At least 49 people were confirmed dead on Wednesday as devastating floods swept through one of South Africa’s poorest provinces. Officials warned that the death toll was expected to rise as search and recovery efforts continued for those still missing.

The floods struck the largely rural Eastern Cape province in the southeastern region of the country early Tuesday. The destruction followed the arrival of a particularly severe weather front that brought heavy rainfall, gale-force winds, and even snow in some areas.

“As we speak here, other bodies are being discovered,” Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane told reporters during a briefing. He described the event as one of the most severe weather-related disasters ever to hit the province. “I have never seen something like this,” he added.

Among the confirmed dead were six high school students who were swept away when their school bus was engulfed by floodwaters near a river close to the town of Mthatha, which bore the brunt of the devastation. Mabuyane added that four other students remained missing.

Authorities located the school bus early Wednesday, but it was empty. According to the provincial government, three students were rescued on Tuesday after being found clinging to trees and crying out for help.

The bus driver and another adult onboard were also among those confirmed dead.

Search and rescue operations were scheduled to continue into a third day on Thursday. While authorities did not specify how many people were still missing, they said they were working closely with families to determine who remained unaccounted for.

Disaster response teams have been deployed in both the Eastern Cape and neighboring KwaZulu-Natal provinces following the torrential rains and snow that struck southern and eastern parts of the country over the weekend. Mabuyane also reported incidents of mudslides.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, in a statement from his office, expressed his condolences to the affected families and confirmed that the National Disaster Management Center was coordinating efforts with local authorities. The Eastern Cape was the province hardest hit by the extreme cold front that meteorologists had warned was approaching. Unusually heavy snowfall was also recorded in parts of the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Free State province in the country's interior.

The floods caused widespread power outages, affecting hundreds of thousands of homes in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Provincial officials said that hundreds of families were displaced and are now sheltering in temporary accommodations after their homes were either destroyed or severely damaged. At least 58 schools and 20 hospitals were also reported damaged, with the worst impact centered around Mthatha and nearby districts.

Elsewhere, houses were left submerged, and floodwaters swept away cars and debris, leaving behind chaotic piles as the rain subsided and water levels began to recede.

South Africa is prone to powerful weather systems moving in from the Indian and Southern Oceans. In 2022, over 400 people were killed in flooding caused by prolonged heavy rains in the coastal city of Durban and surrounding regions.

Poor and informal settlements are typically the hardest hit in such disasters, often bearing the highest number of casualties.