South Africa: Torrential Rain Causes Flash Floods and Landslides in KwaZulu-Natal Province

South Africa's province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has been battered by several days of torrential rain, causing massive flooding and mudslides.

The record-breaking rainfall was caused by severe weather that struck the country after several months of relative calm.

A number of residents took to social media to depict the horrific impact of the weather event, causing widespread disruption and damage.

Although the downpour has decreased compared to its onset during the weekend, the threat of further rainfall still remains.

Severe Weather

(Photo : Photo by TONY KARUMBA/AFP via Getty Images)

Flash floods have swept away multiple vehicles and caused the overflow of rivers in the province.

Heavy rain also damaged properties in the city of Durban and the Amanzimtoti central business district (CBD) area, as per South Africa's media outlet News 24.

In Amanzimtoti, some schools have closed due to inclement weather conditions.

Meanwhile, emergency personnel has been deployed into the area to unblock drains and decrease the flooding.

In Umdloti Beach, people have evacuated a residential building after water pressure led the walls to crack. This is after emergency services issued a warning of the pending infrastructural threat.

However, the latest report suggested that one family still remains and refuses to leave the establishment.

The extreme weather has also caused large-scale power outages in some infrastructure across the province. This is likely due to the damaged or destroyed power lines due to the continuous rainfall over recent days.

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Flood Warning

Prior to the incident, the South African Weather Service (SAWS) issued a flood warning for parts of South Africa with cold conditions due to a cut-off low from Friday to Monday, April 8 to April 11.

The SAWS also issued several flood warnings for KZN, including in Dannhauser, Dundee, Dundee, and Hluhluwe.

Under the warning, localized flooding may be at the greatest risk for both formal and informal settlements in low-lying areas, as cited by News 24.

Landslides

The authorities also said that driving conditions can be hampered along dirt roads due to localized damages caused by mudslides.

Houses are also susceptible to being hit by a landslide.

According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), a mudslide triggered by the rain has killed a man in Umlazi township, located southwest of Durban, on Sunday, April 10, as per the natural disaster monitoring site Floodlist.com.

Search-and-rescue teams have been sent into the area as several dwellings were believed to have been buried.

Measures and Other Incidents

Rescue and evacuation efforts are ongoing and members of the disaster management and emergency control unit are on high alert across the province.

The KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department (KZN COGTA) and disaster management teams have reportedly responded to other related incidents, including the landslides in the areas of KwaDukuza and flash floods in Ladysmith, as per Floodlist.com.

Moreover, coastal flooding has been reported in Kingsburg. On Monday, the city of Durban recorded 91 mm. of rainfall in the span of only 24 hours.

Furthermore, the ongoing weather warnings by the SAWS for heavy rain and flooding are still in place as of Monday.

This will likely continue in the coming hours or days.