Four people stranded by flooding on a river are being rescued in South Africa — TimesLIVE

In the village of Mpindweni near Libode in South Africa, rescuers are trying to reach three schoolchildren and a local resident who were stranded on a dry patch in the middle of a river due to flooding. Heavy rains caused widespread flooding and infrastructure damage in the Eastern Cape province.

Rescue operation

King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality Mayor Mkhanyiseni Dudumayo said rescue teams were already working on the river. According to TimesLIVE, the schoolchildren had gone fishing but were cut off from the bank when the water level began to rise.

Municipal spokesperson Oluwetu Mabovula said flash floods began at around 17:00 on Monday. Emergency services requested assistance, but low cloud cover prevented the use of a helicopter. Rescuers planned to use boats to reach the schoolchildren.

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Consequences of the heavy rains

The flooding damaged roads and bridges within King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality. According to Dudumayo, heavy rainfall affected roads in 37 wards of the municipality, especially in the coastal areas of Mqanduli and Coffee Bay.

Teams were also deployed to assess the damage and assist with rescue operations on the Mthatha River, which forms part of the boundary between the King Sabata Dalindyebo and Nyandeni municipalities. Flooding affected the Alfred Nzo, O.R. Tambo, Amathole, Chris Hani and Buffalo City Metropolitan municipalities. Mabovula urged residents of low-lying areas to be cautious and not build homes along riverbanks.