Despite very meager hopes, trying to find those who are still alive, while continuing to count the dead: this is the painful mission of the emergency services in South Africa, hit by torrential rains for five days.

Unprecedented in the country, these bad weather caused nearly 400 deaths and 41,000 victims, according to a new report on Friday April 15.

Most of the victims were recorded in the Durban region, a port city in Kwazulu-Natal (KZN) open to the Indian Ocean and the epicenter of the heavy rains that began last weekend. 

"A total of 40,723 people have been affected. Unfortunately, the death toll continues to rise, with the latest recorded death toll at 395," the province's Cooperation and Traditional Affairs Department said in a statement. . 

"A Disaster Never Seen"

At dawn, the search for the missing resumed.

Special police teams backed by helicopters are combing the region with a fine-toothed comb, AFP journalists reported.

The government gave no indication of the total number of people wanted.

But on the fifth day of the disaster, rescuers have little hope of finding the living: "At the moment our work consists mainly of recovering bodies," rescuer Travis Trower told AFP.

President Cyril Ramaphosa traveling in Mpumalanga (north-east) on the occasion of the Easter holidays, deplored a disaster "never seen before in the country".

The forecast calls for more rain during the day and over the weekend, with risks of further flooding and landslides.

The bad weather also affects the neighboring province of Eastern Cape (southeast) where "one death has already been reported", said Cyril Ramaphosa. 

Thousands homeless

Roads were devastated, bridges collapsed.

Over 250 schools were affected and thousands of homes were destroyed.

The authorities fear hundreds of millions of euros in damages. 

In the morning, volunteers armed with gloves and rubbish bags began cleaning Durban's beaches, which are usually popular with families and tourists. 

"It's my beach, the one where I take my children, where we spend our weekends", explains Morne Mustard, a 35-year-old computer scientist, among the volunteers of the popular beach of Umhlanga.

The restaurants on the beach offered them breakfast.

He survived the deluge, "an absolute devastation, a horrible sight", he says, describing all kinds of rubbish and objects, brooms, utensils, carried by the waters towards the beach. 

Thousands of people were left homeless, around twenty emergency shelters were opened.

Some have been sleeping for several days on chairs or pieces of cardboard placed on the floor.

In some areas, water and electricity have been cut since Monday.

Desperate people were seen drawing water from burst pipes.

A state of disaster has been declared.

The day before, sporadic demonstrations broke out demanding help.

The city of Durban called for "patience", with relief operations being slowed "due to the extent of the damage on the roads". 

Local authorities have appealed for donations of food, water bottles and blankets.

Looting has been reported.

The region had already experienced massive destruction in July during an unprecedented wave of riots and looting.

Southern Africa is regularly plagued by deadly storms during the hurricane season from November to April.

But South Africa is generally spared from these extreme weather events that form over the Indian Ocean.

With AFP

The summary of the

France 24 week invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you!

Download the France 24 app

google-play-badge_FR