Floods In South Africa Claim 12 Lives

Authorities in South Africa announced Tuesday that floods brought on by torrential rains have killed at least 12 people, after the declaration of a national state of calamity by the president.

According to the agency in charge of disaster management, COGTA, the terrible weather, which is predicted to linger for the remainder of the week, affected the east, north, and south, killing people in four of South Africa’s nine provinces.

According to COGTA spokeswoman Lungi Mtshali, the iconic Kruger National Park, a popular tourist destination bordering Mozambique and the biggest reserve in South Africa, was severely impacted.

The northeastern South African province of Mpumalanga “looks to be severely struck so far. Kruger is terrible, Mtshali stated.

He said that there were now 12 fatalities, up from 7 on Monday.

According to the South African Weather Service, numerous rivers that traverse Kruger have been flooded by severe rainfall since last weekend (SAWS).

According to Isaac Phaahla, a spokesperson for the organization in charge of overseeing national parks, SANParks, “Movement within the park is limited since several roads are destroyed.”

As a precaution, some camps within the reserve have been abandoned.

The meteorological service reports that heavy rains began to fall last week after a chilly spell in the midst of the austral summer.