FLOOD RESCUE, RECOVERY EFFORTS CONTINUE

Eastern Cape faces an escalating crisis from devastating floods

- NICOLA DANIELS

WITH rescue and recovery efforts still underway, the death toll is expected to rise following the devastating floods that swept through large parts of Mthatha in the Eastern Cape.

By late yesterday, the death toll stood at 57.

Torrential rains and freezing temper-atures hit the region on Monday, trigger-ing widespread flooding and landslides that submerged homes, damaged infra-structure and claimed multiple lives.

Gift of the Givers teams, in collabo-ration with the SAPS Search and Rescue Unit and the Eastern Cape Provincial Disaster Management teams, had by yes-terday evening recovered eight bodies.

Ali Sablay, a spokesperson for the Gift of the Givers Foundation, said the deceased included five adults and three children. “In response to the ongoing crisis, Gift of the Givers is intensifying and expanding its operations throughout the district to support affected communi-ties and assist in further recovery efforts.”