A devastating wave of flooding in South Africa has swept away a minibus carrying schoolchildren in the Eastern Cape province.
According to provincial spokesperson Khuselwa Rantjie, it was confirmed that three survivors have been rescued so far. Rescue operations were halted due to darkness and are expected to resume on Wednesday morning.
In a separate tragedy within the same region, the bodies of seven people who were carried away by rising floodwaters were recovered in the OR Tambo district.
The Eastern Cape, along with other parts of South Africa, has been battered by extreme weather conditions in recent days — including heavy snowfall, torrential rains, and gale-force winds. The storms have so far claimed at least five more lives in a road accident and plunged nearly half a million homes into darkness due to power outages.
Authorities have urged residents to remain vigilant and avoid low-lying areas as emergency teams brace for further search-and-rescue operations.
