Death toll in South Africa flooding expected to rise, officials say

JOHANNESBURG — At least 49 people have died in flooding in South Africa's Eastern Cape province after an extreme cold front brought heavy rain and snow to parts of the country, officials said Wednesday. Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane said police provided the death toll, which is expected to rise as authorities continue to search for missing people. "As we speak here, other bodies are being discovered," Mabuyane told reporters at a briefing. Mabuyane's office reported seven deaths in the floods on Tuesday, including six high school students who were washed away when their school bus was caught in floodwaters near a river on Tuesday. Four other students were among the missing, Mabuyane said. Authorities found the school bus earlier Wednesday, but it was empty. Three of the students were rescued on Tuesday when they were found clinging to trees, the provincial government said. Disaster response teams have been activated in Eastern Cape province and the neighboring KwaZulu-Natal province after torrential rain hit parts of southern and eastern South Africa over the weekend. Power outages have affected hundreds of thousands of homes, authorities said. The Eastern Cape province was especially hard hit, with houses submerged or destroyed and cars carried away by floodwaters in and around the city of Mthatha, around 430 kilometers (267 miles) south of the east coast city of Durban. Eastern Cape officials said at least 58 schools and 20 hospitals were damaged by the floods. Around 500 people were taken to temporary shelters after their homes were washed away or damaged, they added. "I have never seen something like this," Mabuyane said. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa offered his condolences to the affected families in a statement. His office said South Africa's National Disaster Management Centre was now working with local authorities in the Eastern Cape. Weather forecasters had warned for days prior that an especially strong weather front was heading for the eastern and southern parts of South Africa, bringing damaging rains in some parts and snow in others.