South African floods kill over 440 people

The devastation from the South African floods is becoming evident as rescuers continue the search for dozens of missing people.

Extremely heavy rains triggered a wave of floods and mudslides, killing over 440 individuals.

Torrential rain has been pouring for over a week and locals fear the rain will continue.

The floods have caused severe damage to the nation’s infrastructure with repairs costs expected to surpass 600 million dollars.

In KwaZulu-Natal, over 4,000 homes have been destroyed and more than 8,000 were damaged.

Nearly 300 schools and some health facilities have also been ruined.

One of South Africa’s busiest ports, Durban, has been disrupted due to the heavy rain.

Thousands of individuals have been left homeless and unable to access basic supplies.

Many individuals currently don’t have access to power and water services.

The government has declared a nationwide state of disaster and instructed over 10,000 troops to assist with clean up.

Along with mop-up work and transporting aid, the troops will provide medical support.

The government has also arranged helicopters for rescue and reconnaissance missions.

President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that the floods are a direct correlation to climate change.

The nation’s president has also delayed a working visit to Saudi Arabia to focus on the disaster.

Amanda Gunn contributed to this report