The number of victims is still increasing due to the unprecedented floods in South Africa, where the disaster claimed the lives of about 400 people, and the number of affected people reached more than 41,000.

Floods hit the eastern coast of this country about a week ago, as most of the victims fell in and around the Indian Ocean city of Durban.

And the rain - which reached levels not seen in the country in 60 years - destroyed bridges and roads and isolated a large part of the Durban region.

More than 250 schools were damaged and thousands of homes were destroyed, and the authorities fear losses could reach hundreds of millions of dollars.

"Unfortunately, the death toll is still rising and has reached 395," the regional head of the Ministry of Disaster Management Sevo Hlomoka said Friday in a statement, and rescue teams have expanded their search for dozens of people who are still missing.

Funeral of a victim in the suburbs of Durban (European)

There is little hope of finding survivors. "The intense phase of the rescue operation is largely over," said Travis Trower, who leads rescue teams.

For his part, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa described the floods as "a catastrophe of enormous proportions, the like of which we have not seen in our country."

"Let us pray for our people in KwaZulu-Natal (where Durban is located) so that they recover...so that they can continue their lives," he told worshipers in a church in the eastern town of Ermelo.

Floods in South Africa washed away hundreds of containers (European)

Thousands of people were displaced and temporary shelters were opened.

Some residents have been sleeping for days on chairs or lying on the floor with pieces of cardboard, and water and electricity have been cut off in some areas.

Sporadic demonstrations called for help, while the Durban city administration called on residents to "be patient" with the slowdown in relief operations "due to the extent of the damage to the roads."