Heavy rains and flooding in South Africa kill 59 people and sweep away roads

Heavy rains and floods have battered the eastern coast of South Africa, killing at least 59 people, damaging roads and destroying houses, prompting authorities to urge residents to stay at home.

Heavy rains and flooding in South Africa kill 59 people and sweep away roads

CNN: Heavy rains and floods have battered the eastern coast of South Africa, killing at least 59 people, damaging roads and destroying houses, prompting authorities to urge residents to stay at home.

The floods hit the province of KwaZulu-Natal, which includes the coastal city of Durban, where roads cracked and gave way to deep fissures, and a huge stack of shipping containers collapsed into muddy waters, news agency images show. A bridge near Durban was swept away, leaving people stranded on either side.

KwaZulu-Natal has experienced extreme rainfall since Monday, in what the provincial government called "one of the worst weather storms in the history of our country" in a statement posted to Facebook, where it also gave the death toll.
 
"The heavy rainfall that has descended on our land over the past few days, has wreaked untold havoc and unleashed massive damage to lives and infrastructure," it said.