JOHANNESBURG, May 13 (Xinhua) -- A total of 447 people have lost their lives as a result of floods in KwaZulu-Natal Province while 89 others are still missing, said the police Friday.
The National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola made the disclosure in Durban during the send-off of the rescue teams that were looking for the victims of floods.
It's been one month since rescue teams from various parts of the country converged in KwaZulu-Natal province to intervene after the floods hit the region.
"The death toll is now standing at 447, with 89 persons reportedly still missing. To date, 854 call-outs and scenes have been attended to which led to the rescue of 165 victims that were found alive. Eighty-seven of the inaccessible deceased victim's bodies were recovered by the rescue teams in the Greater Ethekwini area," said Masemola, adding the rescue teams are going back to their stations.
The rescue teams were also commended by the South African Minister of Police Bheki Cele for their good jobs in KwaZulu-Natal province, saying that the police learned a lot of lessons from the operation.
The rescue teams comprised police from various sections like diving teams with various vessels, helicopters and fixed-wing airplanes. They worked with disaster management teams and emergency services. ■