Margate 2
Images of Margate taken on the morning of the thunderstorms. Picture Courtesy: X (@Mbhekeni2)
(The Post News) – The flooding in Margate, a coastal area in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, has resulted in five fatalities and caused significant destruction to roads, electricity, and water infrastructure.
On Sunday, April 14th, 2024, severe thunderstorms, resulting in flooding, struck the Margate area. These storms followed a level-five warning for heavy rainfall issued by the South African Weather Service. “We received the warning when the rain was already wreaking havoc. Within five minutes, we relayed that warning to our residents, but unfortunately, it was already too late,” said Sikhumbuzo Mqadi, the Mayor of Ugu District Municipality, in an interview with the SABC.
According to SAWS, the severe stormy weather is expected to continue until midnight on Monday, 15 April 2024. “From human settlements, we need shelters so our people will have shelter because we understand that this weather is still going to come even today,” Mqadi said.
It was earlier reported that bodies of two people had been found and the search and rescue team was still discovering other bodies. “We know for sure that there are two people who have since passed away and I am reliably told now, by the Mayor of Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality, that they are discovering other bodies up along the main road,” said Mqadi.
The flooding caused sinkholes on roads where the disaster management teams were clearing trees that had been swept by the heavy rainfall.
According to Mqadi, the damage caused by the thunderstorms was huge and they are conducting an assessment to evaluate how huge the damage is. He added that these floods caught them by surprise as they are still recovering from disasters of similar nature.
Simon April, who is the spokesperson of the Ray Nkonyeni Municipality, was on the scene where a car carrying a family of three was washed away. He told the SABC reporter that search and rescue missions were in progress. “Right now, we have just retrieved three bodies. It is that of a male, a female, and a child. We believe they were trying to cross a low-lying bridge, but their vehicle was washed away,” said April.
He added that the three bodies were discovered near a river along the N2 highway and he also said that they had just received news that one person from ward 29 got struck by lightning and died.
KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi, later confirmed that five people had been found dead. “Now we have five people that have passed on in this incident. I can’t disclose the names of the people because we are still waiting for families to confirm,” said the MEC Sithole-Moloi.
The fifth person is said to have fallen from the roof while attempting to stop flooding water that was gashing through and two people were reported injured in the Umgaba, eThekwini south.
MEC Sithole Moloi conveyed her sincere condolences to the families of those who died because of the thunderstorms and appealed to the people of Margate and surrounding areas to adhere to the weather alerts and take precautionary measures. Motorists and pedestrians are advised not to go anywhere until the thunderstorms have passed.
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