As EC observes day of mourning for flood victims, provincial govt says death toll may continue to rise
At least 90 people have died since the adverse weather conditions that affected the province more than a week ago.
A house in ruins due to flooding in the Eastern Cape on 11 June 2025. Picture: Jacques Nelles/EWN
JOHANNESBURG - As the Eastern Cape observes a day of mourning for flood victims, the death toll continues to increase.
On Wednesday night, police discovered a young girl's body along the Mthatha River.
At least 90 people have died since the adverse weather conditions that affected the province more than a week ago.
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More than 4,000 people have been displaced due to the heavy rains that battered the province, with many families mourning the loss of their loved ones.
Mthatha, which was the hardest-hit area in the province, accounts for 68 people who died during the torrential rains.
The Eastern Cape government said that most of the bodies that had been discovered were identified and collected by family members.
Provincial government spokesperson, Khuselwa Rantjie: "Mthatha in the OR Tambo District Municipality remains the hardest-hit area across the province and the number of the deceased persons may continue to rise. Progress has been made with the processing of the bodies as 86 bodies have now been positively identified, with 83 collected by family members. Meanwhile, five bodies remain unidentified."
Rantjie also urged families to report any missing persons at police stations to assist in the ongoing recovery and identification efforts.