Rescue teams deployed in E Cape, flood death toll rises

RESCUE teams raced yesterday to find possible survivors after heavy rain flooded parts of the Eastern Cape earlier in the week as the death toll rose to 57.

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Torrential rains and freezing temperatures struck on Monday, causing major flooding and landslides that submerged houses.

Images on local media showed homes completely under water and rescuers wading through the mud. Power and water supplies have been affected and hundreds have been forced to relocate.

"As the water subsides, more bodies are being discovered," said Caroline Gallant, Eastern Cape manager at the South African Red Cross Society, which has sent assistance to the disaster zone.