An eight-year-old boy and a 37-year-old man were swept away while crossing the Masende River in Mandeni, KwaZulu-Natal, on Christmas Day.
The KZN department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) said disaster management teams found the body of the boy who drowned in the river on Monday evening. The man is still missing.
"Due to the persistent rainfall in the Mandeni area, the search and rescue operation has been temporarily suspended, with plans to resume on Wednesday morning," it said.
"This incident has raised the death toll to seven people, with 11 people still unaccounted for, including those affected by flooding in Ladysmith. The search is ongoing in Ladysmith."
Provincial Cogta MEC Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi convened a joint operation cluster meeting involving all municipalities to co-ordinate disaster response efforts to assess affected areas and provide assistance to those in need.
"As rain continues to fall in various parts of our province, we urge people to exercise caution, especially those travelling on the roads. We strongly advise residents not to attempt to cross rivers where the water level is above the knee," the department said.
"The South African Weather Service has forecast more [than] normal rainfall throughout the summer. This requires us to be disaster wise and adhere to the disaster alerts to reduce risk."
TimesLIVE
Eight-year-old boy swept away in river takes KZN flood death toll to 7
Image: Supplied/IPSS
An eight-year-old boy and a 37-year-old man were swept away while crossing the Masende River in Mandeni, KwaZulu-Natal, on Christmas Day.
The KZN department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) said disaster management teams found the body of the boy who drowned in the river on Monday evening. The man is still missing.
"Due to the persistent rainfall in the Mandeni area, the search and rescue operation has been temporarily suspended, with plans to resume on Wednesday morning," it said.
"This incident has raised the death toll to seven people, with 11 people still unaccounted for, including those affected by flooding in Ladysmith. The search is ongoing in Ladysmith."
Provincial Cogta MEC Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi convened a joint operation cluster meeting involving all municipalities to co-ordinate disaster response efforts to assess affected areas and provide assistance to those in need.
"As rain continues to fall in various parts of our province, we urge people to exercise caution, especially those travelling on the roads. We strongly advise residents not to attempt to cross rivers where the water level is above the knee," the department said.
"The South African Weather Service has forecast more [than] normal rainfall throughout the summer. This requires us to be disaster wise and adhere to the disaster alerts to reduce risk."
TimesLIVE
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