JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- A total of 31 people were killed in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal Province as a result of heavy rains in December 2023, with three people remaining missing, a local official said Wednesday.
KwaZulu-Natal Province experienced heavy rains in December which have left a trail of destruction, affecting households, businesses and public infrastructure such as schools, roads and bridges, said Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi, an official from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
"As our team continues to assess the situation on the ground while providing disaster relief to affected families, preliminary reports indicate that over 600 households were affected, with over 140 dwellings completely destroyed," Sithole-Moloi said, adding that thunderstorms affected over 2,000 people and left many homeless.
Uthukela District in the province suffered more damage than other areas, with over 100 homes damaged and 23 fatalities reported from the Christmas Eve floods that struck Ladysmith Town, Sithole-Moloi noted.
"While we continue to work with other departments and stakeholders to respond to all incidents, we remain concerned about the continuing rainfall which is hampering the pace at which assessments can be conducted," the official said.
South African Weather Service predicts that there would be thunderstorms on Wednesday in various parts of KwaZulu-Natal Province. ■
