Five more bodies recovered, KZN death toll rises to 448
The death toll in the KZN floods is nearing 450 after the latest fatalities were tallied.
Five more bodies were recovered by search and rescue teams on Tuesday.
KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala and Cooperative Governance MEC Sipho Hlomuka met with disaster management teams at the Virginia Airport on Tuesday, where he revealed the latest stats.
“According to the report we have received, the number of people who have died now stands at 448,” said Zikalala.
Dozens more are still unaccounted for as the province ramps up efforts to recover from the catastrophic floods.
Damage to infrastructure and property is estimated to run in the billions of rands.
On Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster in the wake of the devastating floods.
The state of disaster is expected to be in place for at least the next three months.
Zikalala welcomed the decision.
“The recategorisation form the provincial to national state of disaster is an acknowledgment of the scale and magnitude that the flood we faced is beyond the province, it is beyond the capacity of the province.
More than 40 000 residents were displaced.
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