Houses and vehicles swept away as dam wall bursts in Free State town

Houses and vehicles were swept away and several residents injured early on Sunday when the wall of a dam burst in the mining town of Jagersfontein in the Free State.

A pregnant woman was among at least 35 people reported to have been injured and at least one death was confirmed. The deluge of water and mud knocked out electricity in the town, washed away livestock and a number of people were reported missing.

Premier Sisi Ntombela said she was shocked by news of the incident which happened at about 6am.

Residents in affected areas were evacuated.

Free State emergency medical services spokesperson Sipho Towa said at least 35 people had been hospitalised with minor injuries.

“There is also a pregnant woman among them, who is stable,” he said.

Towa said search and rescue efforts were ongoing. A disaster management team was assessing the damage.

“The water has swept away houses and cars. However, the provincial government has activated the disaster management team and the joint operation centre to determine the extent of the disaster and also carry out evacuation processes where necessary,” said the premier’s spokesperson Palesa Chubisi.

Humanitarian aid organisation Gift of the Givers received requests for assistance from the office of the premier, police and local community.

Founder Imtiaz Sooliman said the area of Charlesville appeared to be worst affected. “Houses, personal belongings and many sheep have been washed away ... and community members are missing. The cellphone towers have been damaged affecting communication, there is no electricity and not a drop of drinkable water. Some of the roads have been cut off.”

A local church opened its doors for shelter and accommodation.

“Immediate requirements include bottled water, bulk food for cooking, blankets, mattresses, clothing, hygiene items, sanitary pads and diapers. Fodder for sheep will also be required. Gift of the Givers teams are packing supplies at Bethlehem, Graaff-Reinet, Gqeberha and Cape Town, with the first delivery expected later today in Jagersfontein,” said Sooliman.

He said the heads of provincial disaster management, Markus Butler and Justin Colbert, were Gift of the Givers search and rescue team members. “We will be getting updates directly from them once the network is functional. Arrangements will be made to provide fodder for the sheep.”

Eskom said it had lost bulk supply to Centlec, the electricity distributor responsible for the town, after a substation was engulfed by mud.

“Due to the current situation in the Jagersfontein area and inaccessibility of our substation, it is impossible to estimate when supply will be restored or to determine the extent of the damage.

“Since Eskom’s telecommunication system is also affected by the flood, the impact on surrounding networks is still unclear ...

“We wish to express our sincere condolences to those affected by this catastrophic event and commend emergency services for their swift response,” the power provider said.

The department of education was liaising with district officials and principals. “Our preliminary report thus far indicates that no educational facilities were affected. The social development district offices are evacuating people in the affected areas to nearby farms,” said Chubisi.

She said humanitarian organisations, including Meals on Wheels and SA Red Cross, among others, were on the ground assessing how many people were affected and what their basic needs were.

“Sassa has also deployed officials to the area. The department will be starting with psychosocial services for all affected residents. A detailed report on the circumstances surrounding the incident will be released upon compilation.”

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