SA floods death toll nears 400

South African police, army and volunteer rescuers have widened the search for dozens still missing five days after the deadliest storm to strike the city of Durban in living memory as the death toll rose to nearly 400.

The floods, which affected nearly 41,000 people, left a trail of destruction and killed at least 395 people, said Sipho Hlomuka, the regional head of the disaster management ministry.

President Cyril Ramaphosa — recalling the Covid-19 pandemic and the deadly July riots — described the floods as “a catastrophe of enormous proportions ... not seen before in our country” and urged Good Friday prayers for survivors.

“Just as we thought it was safe to get out of [the Covid] disaster, we have another disaster, a natural disaster descending on our country, particularly on our KwaZulu-Natal province.

“The floods have caused a lot of devastation,” he said.