The bodies of Decoligny resident Asongezwa Ntlabathi’s two nephews, aged six and eight, were found in the mud at their home on Wednesday.
Her 54-year-old mother and oldest nephew, aged 11, were still missing.
She said she had been sleeping when she received a frantic call from her mother amid the rapidly rising water.
“She asked if I could phone for help. I dialled 10111 but an officer said there was nothing they could do. I was advised to phone the municipal disaster unit,” Ntlabathi said.
“My mother told me the water had reached her house and the beds and wardrobes were being washed away.”
Ntlabathi, 25, was able to run to safety near the R61, which passes alongside Decoligny, but her mother’s house had been totally submerged.
Assisted by neighbours, she returned on Wednesday morning and found her youngest nephew lying face down in the mud. Her other nephew’s body was recovered later in the morning.
“I no longer harbour any hope that they are alive. I just wish their bodies could be recovered.”
Fellow Decoligny resident Loyiso Nokhayingana, 25, had to climb into the ceiling at about 6am on Tuesday and use a spade to break through the roof to escape.
He and his 49-year-old mother had been trapped inside. He was able to rescue his mother and they were pulled to safety by neighbours.
“It was so fast. In less than two minutes, the water inside the house was up to my waist and by the time I got to the ceiling, the windows were totally submerged.
“I heard one of my neighbours, a woman who stays alone, screaming next door, but her house was quickly swallowed by floodwaters. Her body was found inside after the water subsided.”
Senzo Bhakam said one of the neighbours trapped in her house had not been found.
Bhakam, his wife and children had escaped to safety after being alerted to the floods by neighbours.
Some had climbed onto their roofs to avoid being swept away.
Premier Oscar Mabuyane, who joined the search for people with members of his executive, said the numbers could increase as the search continued.
“We never anticipated a tragedy of this magnitude ... what we are seeing here is unheard of ... it is beyond imagination.”
He was speaking after the bodies of two boys and a girl, all pupils, were recovered along a swollen stream near Decoligny.
It was reported on Wednesday that survivors had to climb trees or on to rooftops to avoid drowning as water levels rose quickly, submerging homes in Phola Park, Slovo and Decoligny informal settlements in Mthatha West.
Mabuyane said many other parts of the province had been affected by the rains, including Dikeni, Cumakala, Qumrha and Butterworth in the Amathole district, while roads had become impassable in Nxuba Yethemba due to snow.
“According to reports, about 600 people have been displaced in Butterworth alone,” he said.
Mabuyane said at least five rescue teams, backed by a helicopter, had been dispatched to search for those missing in Mthatha. No fatalities were reported in other affected parts of the Eastern Cape.
Speaking to victims who had been accommodated at a school in Decoligny, Mabuyane said: “The toll keeps climbing ... It’s the mother of all tragedies. We were retrieving the bodies of dead children. It is so painful.”
A teacher at Bambanani Junior Secondary in Slovo said at least two families had gone missing.
Flood death toll rises to 49 ‘in mother of all tragedies’
Hundreds left homeless, with the number of dead set to increase as search continues
Image: LULAMILE FENI
Forty-nine people have so far been confirmed dead in the Eastern Cape after floods on Tuesday. Hundreds have been left homeless.
“We have confirmed that 49 of our fellow citizens have sadly lost their lives in the OR Tambo district alone. Among them, we mourn the tragic loss of children whose scholar transport was swept away in floodwaters,” Eastern Cape government spokesperson Khuselwa Rantjie said.
“The number of people confirmed to have been in the [scholar transport] minibus taxi is 13.
“Three learners were rescued alive yesterday [Tuesday] and, sadly, four learners have been confirmed to be deceased, together with the driver and a conductor ... Four learners are still missing.”
The bodies of Decoligny resident Asongezwa Ntlabathi’s two nephews, aged six and eight, were found in the mud at their home on Wednesday.
Her 54-year-old mother and oldest nephew, aged 11, were still missing.
She said she had been sleeping when she received a frantic call from her mother amid the rapidly rising water.
“She asked if I could phone for help. I dialled 10111 but an officer said there was nothing they could do. I was advised to phone the municipal disaster unit,” Ntlabathi said.
“My mother told me the water had reached her house and the beds and wardrobes were being washed away.”
Ntlabathi, 25, was able to run to safety near the R61, which passes alongside Decoligny, but her mother’s house had been totally submerged.
Assisted by neighbours, she returned on Wednesday morning and found her youngest nephew lying face down in the mud. Her other nephew’s body was recovered later in the morning.
“I no longer harbour any hope that they are alive. I just wish their bodies could be recovered.”
Fellow Decoligny resident Loyiso Nokhayingana, 25, had to climb into the ceiling at about 6am on Tuesday and use a spade to break through the roof to escape.
He and his 49-year-old mother had been trapped inside. He was able to rescue his mother and they were pulled to safety by neighbours.
“It was so fast. In less than two minutes, the water inside the house was up to my waist and by the time I got to the ceiling, the windows were totally submerged.
“I heard one of my neighbours, a woman who stays alone, screaming next door, but her house was quickly swallowed by floodwaters. Her body was found inside after the water subsided.”
Senzo Bhakam said one of the neighbours trapped in her house had not been found.
Bhakam, his wife and children had escaped to safety after being alerted to the floods by neighbours.
Some had climbed onto their roofs to avoid being swept away.
Premier Oscar Mabuyane, who joined the search for people with members of his executive, said the numbers could increase as the search continued.
“We never anticipated a tragedy of this magnitude ... what we are seeing here is unheard of ... it is beyond imagination.”
He was speaking after the bodies of two boys and a girl, all pupils, were recovered along a swollen stream near Decoligny.
It was reported on Wednesday that survivors had to climb trees or on to rooftops to avoid drowning as water levels rose quickly, submerging homes in Phola Park, Slovo and Decoligny informal settlements in Mthatha West.
Mabuyane said many other parts of the province had been affected by the rains, including Dikeni, Cumakala, Qumrha and Butterworth in the Amathole district, while roads had become impassable in Nxuba Yethemba due to snow.
“According to reports, about 600 people have been displaced in Butterworth alone,” he said.
Mabuyane said at least five rescue teams, backed by a helicopter, had been dispatched to search for those missing in Mthatha. No fatalities were reported in other affected parts of the Eastern Cape.
Speaking to victims who had been accommodated at a school in Decoligny, Mabuyane said: “The toll keeps climbing ... It’s the mother of all tragedies. We were retrieving the bodies of dead children. It is so painful.”
A teacher at Bambanani Junior Secondary in Slovo said at least two families had gone missing.
READ MORE:
Eight bodies recovered from school bus swept away by Mthatha floods
Lives lost, homes damaged as heavy rain causes flooding in Eastern Cape
Death toll in Eastern Cape flooding disaster is 49 'and rising every hour'
Flooding crisis in Eastern Cape prompts emergency response
Scholar transport swept away by floodwater in Eastern Cape, 3 pupils rescued
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