South Africa: unprecedented floods kill 443

The Archbishop of Cape Town lamented “a tragedy of overwhelming proportions”. Article written by Published on 04/17/2022 18:54 Updated on 04/17/2022 18:59 Reading time: 1 min. The human toll darkens a little more. The unprecedented floods that ravaged the South African region of KwaZulu-Natal, after several days of unprecedented rainfall, killed 443 people, according to the provincial minister on Sunday, April 17. On this Easter Sunday, calls for prayer for the victims multiplied during religious gatherings. “It is a tragedy of overwhelming proportions,” said Thabo Makgoba, Archbishop of Cape Town and successor to Desmond Tutu, who spoke of “stress and pain” for the community. In some parts of the province, water and electricity have been cut since Monday. Many slums made of corrugated iron sheets or simple planks did not resist the deluge. Most of the victims were recorded in the region of Durban, a port city of 3.5 million inhabitants open to the Indian Ocean and where heavy rains have been falling for a week causing floods and deadly landslides. Some 63 people are still missing. Share: Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share by email Share link