Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Eastern Cape Floods Death Toll Rises to 57 as Search Efforts Continue

President Cyril Ramaphosa has activated the National Disaster Management Centre to coordinate relief for hundreds displaced by the floods.

Rescue workers transport a person in a body bag during a rescue operation after floods swept through the area, in Mthatha, South Africa, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Hoseya Jubase)
Image
Residents walk across a flooded road following severe weather with heavy rain from a cold front in Masiphumelele, Cape Town, South Africa on May 20, 2025. REUTERS/Nic Bothma
A view of a vehicle abandoned in a flooded area, in Mthatha, South Africa, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Hoseya Jubase)

Overview

  • Rescue teams have recovered at least 57 bodies since floodwaters inundated Mthatha and surrounding districts on June 10, with officials warning the toll could rise as searches press on.
  • A school bus carrying high school students was swept into a swollen river, killing six pupils, the driver and a conductor while four learners remain unaccounted for.
  • Heavy rain, gale-force winds and rare winter snow washed away hundreds of homes and damaged at least 58 schools and 20 hospitals across the rural Eastern Cape.
  • Hundreds of families have taken refuge in community centers, facing urgent needs for food, blankets and clean water as temperatures remain low.
  • South African National Defence Force units have joined provincial emergency services to lead search operations and deliver food, shelter and medical supplies.