Local News

Trapped La Mercy residents rescued after mudslide in Durban suburb

Another mudslide has hit the Durban north suburb of La Mercy, just one month after heavy rains collapsed an entire house into a deep gully. 

According to IPSS Medical Rescue, residents were rescued and escaped unharmed after their home was “engulfed by a displaced embankment”. 

Picture: Facebook

Rain has been battering many parts of Durban over the last few days, and is forecast to continue

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WATCH: Heavy rain washes away part of KZN house and road

IPSS said eThekwini metro police’s search and rescue unit and the police’s K9 unit responded to the latest La Mercy incident on Wednesday morning, after receiving preliminary reports that people “may have been unaccounted for”. 

News24 reported the people stuck inside the house were two pregnant women. 

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All occupants of the property were soon accounted for, and are safe. 

It is not yet known to what extent the home was damaged, or if other properties in the area were affected. 

In a previous mudslide, North Coast Courier reported that inclement weather caused a 600mm stormwater drain to burst, washing rain towards the home that collapsed into a gully. 

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Most homes in the area were built on sand and sandstone, which ward councillor Geoff Pullan says gives way fast once the gully forms. 

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By Citizen Reporter
Read more on these topics: KwaZulu-Natal (KZN)