A catastrophic storm has slammed South Africa's Eastern Cape Province, leading to severe flooding that has claimed at least 49 lives, including several children whose school bus was swept away. The slow-moving storm hit the area on Monday and persisted through Tuesday, resulting in widespread destruction as homes were inundated and thousands left without basic services like water and electricity.
In the town of Mthatha, local officials reported that a school bus carrying eleven children was caught in the floods on Tuesday. While three children managed to cling to trees and survive, tragically, four others and two adults drowned as the bus was swept off a bridge. As of Wednesday afternoon, emergency services were still searching for four children who had been on the bus.
Oscar Mabuyane, the premier of the Eastern Cape, expressed deep concern over the situation, stating, “Disasters have hit our province, but we have never experienced this combination of torrential rain and snow,” highlighting the unprecedented nature of the storm.
Rescue operations continue as first responders work tirelessly to locate missing persons and provide relief to the affected community, which is still reeling from the disaster. The impact of the storm has disrupted lives and drawn urgent attention to the need for effective emergency response and infrastructure resilience in the area.
