An unseasonably late snowstorm battered South Africa’s coastal regions over the weekend, killing two people and forcing the closure of some of the country’s main highways.
The deaths were blamed on hypothermia after they were trapped in their vehicles by heavy snow on the N3 highway, the main route to the coastal city of Durban. One of the victims was a 39-year-old woman who was trapped in a minibus.
KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State were the provinces hardest hit by the storm, with authorities warning of flooding in some areas as the snow begins to melt, leaving many farmers’ crops buried under snow for two days.
Rescue workers pulled dozens of trucks and other vehicles trapped in the snow and distributed food and hot drinks to drivers who had been stranded for hours.
Motorists were warned to drive with caution in areas where snow had been cleared.
Schools were closed in KwaZulu-Natal and the province’s cooperative governance minister, Thulasizwe Buteleze, warned of possible flooding in areas along the Tugela River.
“As schools remain closed, parents are urged to keep their children away from unsupervised bodies of water such as rivers and dams,” Buthelezi said.
