Lerato Mbhiza
Six more bodies have been recovered in Ladysmith on Thursday, bringing the death toll to 16, caused by the flash floods in the KwaZulu Natal town.
The number of missing people is also expected to rise as more people come forward to report cases of missing persons.
CoGTA Spokesperson Sboniso Mngadi confirmed the number of missing persons has also increased as more people reported to the police.
“The search teams received bolstered support with the deployment of additional personnel from the SAPS K9 Unit, from various stations across the province. While this is an immense tragedy, we hope that it will bring some comfort to the families who have lost their loved ones, as they can now proceed with the necessary funeral arrangements and find closure in this tragic incident,” said Mngadi.
KZN police said search and rescue teams including police divers, the K9 search and rescue unit and SAPS officers from Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Umhlali, Empangeni, Vryheid and Newcastle recovered the bodies on Thursday were scouring the affected areas.
KZN SAPS spokesperson Col Robert Netshiunda said the search, which is also supported by NSRI station 5, the Alfred Duma local municipality, the Al-Imdaad Foundation, Sharaj rescue, Working on Fire and other private organisations, will continue until all the missing people have been accounted for,
A police chopper, as well as search and rescue members from Durban and Pietermaritzburg, joined the search on Friday morning.
While rain has been predicted for parts of Ladysmith on Friday, rescue teams are working tirelessly to find those still unaccounted for.
According to weather reports the weather is currently holding up, but there is a 30% chance of rain, with a 60% chance of rain and thunderstorms forecast for Saturday and Sunday.
After a visit to the area on Wednesday, co-operative governance MEC Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi said the families of the victims would be supported.
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