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Death Toll from Catastrophic Flooding in South Africa Tops 300

HeadlineApr 14, 2022

In South Africa, the death toll from heavy flooding around the city of Durban has risen to more than 300 in what South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa called a “catastrophe of enormous proportions” and a “part of climate change.” The disaster struck as parts of KwaZulu-Natal province received several months’ worth of rain in a single day, triggering landslides that trapped people under buildings and floodwaters that swept away bridges and houses. This is a Durban resident who managed to save his children but lost all his possessions to the floods.

Jomba Phiri: “I got nowhere to go now. I got no house. I got no nothing. … The situation is very, very bad. I don’t know where we’re going to go to sleep now.”

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