KwaZulu-Natal floods: South Africa army sends 10,000 troops
(BBC) The South African military says it is deploying more than 10,000 troops to help with relief and rescue operations following the devastating floods that swept through parts of KwaZulu-Natal province last week.
More than 440 people have died, and the search is continuing for 63 people who are still missing.
Some of them were swept away by swollen rivers and mudslides.
The government has declared a nation-wide state of disaster.
In an address to the nation on Monday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a series of measures aimed at helping those affected and rebuilding work.
Officials have described the floods as some of the worst to ever hit the KwaZulu-Natal province.
Both the police and army were involved in the search effort, with six more bodies recovered on Sunday, local media reported.
One woman in Durban, Amanda Acheampong, said the bodies of four of her relatives had been recovered near a river bank, while six were still missing.
“The neighbours’ house collapsed first, which then resulted in our family home collapsing and washing everyone into the river. Four bodies were discovered along the riverbank – my sister and her three grandkids. It’s horrible,” Ms Acheampong was quoted by South Africa’s News24 website as saying.
“We’re still looking for the remaining six. We are hopeful they might still be alive, but at this stage it doesn’t look good,” she added.
Another woman, Lethiwe Sibiya, said her niece had not yet been found.
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