One dead, three missing after vehicle swept away in tragic KZN flash floods
A grim scene at Longacres Drive in Amanzimtoti, where search and rescue teams located the wreckage of a vehicle overwhelmed by Sunday night’s flash floods.
Image: ALS Paramedics
One person has tragically lost their life, and three others remain missing after severe flash floods caused widespread devastation across parts of coastal KwaZulu-Natal.
The tragedy unfolded on Sunday night in the Amanzimtoti area, south of Durban, when heavy rains overwhelmed local infrastructure.
A vehicle traveling along Longacres Drive was caught in the rising torrents and washed away, leading to a desperate search operation that continued on Monday morning.
ALS Paramedics and specialized search and rescue teams have intensified their efforts on the scene as they navigate the aftermath of the storm. While one fatality has been confirmed from the incidents, rescuers are working urgently to locate the three individuals who vanished when the car was swept off the road.
The flooding has caused significant havoc throughout the province, leading to submerged bridges and several mudslides in the surrounding areas.
Authorities have urged residents to exercise extreme caution as the South African Weather Service continues to issue alerts for disruptive rain and severe thunderstorms.
Emergency services remain on high alert, monitoring low-lying areas and vulnerable settlements as the search for the missing continues.
While the situation in KwaZulu-Natal has turned fatal, the relentless storm system has also wreaked significant havoc across Gauteng. Over the past weekend, the South African Weather Service escalated its warnings to a Yellow Level 4 for the province as persistent downpours saturated the soil and overwhelmed drainage systems.
In Johannesburg and Pretoria, major arterial routes, including the N12 eastbound, have been brought to a complete standstill due to severe pooling and localized flooding, leaving hundreds of motorists stranded and forcing the closure of several low-lying bridges in Centurion.
The impact has been particularly severe in informal settlements, where rising river levels have threatened homes along the banks of the Jukskei and Vaal rivers. Emergency Management Services (EMS) in the City of Joburg and Tshwane remain on high alert as they monitor vulnerable areas in Soweto, Alexandra, and Sebokeng.
Residents in these regions have reported significant property damage from the combination of flash floods and heavy hail, with some families being forced to seek temporary shelter in community halls as their homes became uninhabitable.
IOL News