Tara Road, Bluff - outside Engen Refinery. Picture supplied by IPSS
Emergency services in KwaZulu-Natal are on standby after a horror night of heavy rainfall that led to flooding and the death of several people in the province on Tuesday.
At least seven bodies, including children, were recovered after being swept away in raging water.
Speaking to The Citizen, IPSS Medical Rescue Services’ Samantha Meyrick said the service had responded to several calls south of Durban on Tuesday evening.
While they were able to attend to a scene in Lamontville near Umlazi, south of Durban, where five people were washed away in a canal, they received many more calls.
Flooded roads made rescues difficult, and Meyrick said that when they arrived, they found that bystanders had often assisted those who were trapped.
A police vehicle also reportedly picked up a couple and their baby in distress on the N2 highway.
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South of Durban, some vehicles were partially submerged near the old Trek garage in Oslo Beach in Port Shepstone as water levels kept rising.
The South Coast Herald also reported flooding in Margate.
This is not the first time these areas have experienced rising water during heavy, sudden rain.
While early predictions suggest it may not be as severe, Meyrick said rain is expected to continue falling, and emergency services are on high alert.
“Everyone is on standby, there is more rain expected but nothing like we experienced last night,” she said.
Any rain is likely to wreak havoc because the ground is also saturated, meaning water levels rise very quickly.
“Additionally, a lot of floods are due to water drainage systems not being maintained and cleaned, so when heavy rainfall is experienced, it just blocks up and overflows, flooding the surrounding areas,” Meyrick noted.
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