Floods claim life of little boy
A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD boy drowned while trying to cross a river following a flood at the Emanyameni Reserve in northern KwaZulu-Natal yesterday.
The body of the boy was found several kilometres downstream from where he was last seen.
Police spokeswoman Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said detectives would investigate the manner in which the child‚ who has not been named yet‚ had drowned.
Heavy rain lashed the northern region of KwaZulu-Natal, leaving a trail of disaster by washing away bridges‚ destroying homes‚ displacing residents and uprooting many trees.
The Jozini area was particularly affected by the storm‚ which hit on Friday‚ following a warning by the SA Weather Service of heavy rainfall in the northern parts of the province.
The weather service also issued another alert yesterday.
It predicted severe thunderstorms – and possible localised flooding – as well as hail in the municipal areas of Umfolozi‚ Umhlathuze and Mtubatuba.
Umkhanyakude district municipal spokesman Mdu Dlamini said a disaster management team had been deployed to the region to assist displaced residents whose homes had been flooded.
Police search-and-rescue personnel remained on high alert throughout in the northern KwaZulu-Natal region. –