Over 300 killed after flooding washed away roads, destroyed homes in South Africa

By David McKenzie, Larry Madowo, Mia Alberti and Angela Dewan, CNN
3 minute read
Updated 9:38 AM EDT, Thu April 14, 2022
Stranded people stand in front of a bridge that was swept away in Ntuzuma, outside Durban, South Africa, Tuesday, April 12, 2022. Prolonged rains and flooding in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province have claimed dozens of lives, according to local officials. (AP Photo)
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Heavy rains and flooding battered the eastern coast of South Africa on Wednesday, killing at least 306 people, damaging roads and destroying homes.

The tragedy marked “one of the darkest moments in the history” of the KwaZulu-Natal province, the regional government said in a tweet.

“We join the families in mourning the lives that we have lost as a result of the heavy rains,” the government wrote. “We wish to commend disaster management teams for the tireless work they have been doing to evacuate affected communities.”

The flooding hit KwaZulu-Natal, which includes the coastal city of Durban. Roads cracked and gave way to deep fissures, and a huge stack of shipping containers collapsed into muddy waters, news agency images show.

A bridge near Durban was swept away, leaving people stranded on either side.

A person walks past flooding in Clare Estate outside of Durban, South Africa, on Monday, April 18.
A person walks past flooding in Clare Estate outside of Durban, South Africa, on Monday, April 18.
Rajesh Jantilal/AFP/Getty Images
A search-and-rescue team carries out an airlift near Durban on Tuesday, April 19.
A search-and-rescue team carries out an airlift near Durban on Tuesday, April 19.
Rogan Ward/Reuters
A search-and-rescue team attempts to recover a child's body at the Mzinyathi Falls near Durban on April 19.
A search-and-rescue team attempts to recover a child's body at the Mzinyathi Falls near Durban on April 19.
STR/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Volunteers and law enforcement workers pack water supplies at a search-and-rescue center in Durban on April 18.
Volunteers and law enforcement workers pack water supplies at a search-and-rescue center in Durban on April 18.
Rajesh Jantilal/AFP/Getty Images
People help clean debris in the Kwandengezi township outside Durban on Friday, April 15.
People help clean debris in the Kwandengezi township outside Durban on Friday, April 15.
Phil Magakoe/AFP/Getty Images
People stand next to the remains of a house in the Kwandengezi township on April 15.
People stand next to the remains of a house in the Kwandengezi township on April 15.
Phill Magakoe/AFP/Getty Images