At least 45 people are thought to have died in South Africa's eastern coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal due to unusually heavy rainfall, according to officials, who cautioned that the numbers are preliminary because so many are currently missing.
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There are fears that numerous people have been injured, while damage to property was extensive. The military has been put on alert.
About 100 school buildings were damaged, some of which were used as shelter by pupils and teachers until they could be rescued. Multiple landslides were reported.
Rebuilding could be a significant challenge, since many streets were washed away.
However, it was hard to assess the situation since so many relay towers for mobile communications were offline.
The city of Durban was particularly badly affected. Many critical transport routes are now under water and some containers were washed away in the city's harbour.
National power company Eskom was also affected, because flotsam became lodged in its turbines.
That will mean targeted power outages across entire regions to prevent a collapse of the national power network.
Residents shared videos of water rushing into houses and settlements on social media.
The authorities called on the public to stay indoors as the rainfall continues.
Australian Associated Press
