New Hanover floods: Rescue teams hope to find more bodies before rain hampers efforts

NEW HANOVER - Rescue teams in KwaZulu-Natal have their hands full in the aftermath of severe flooding in New Hanover.

Teams have been in the area since the early hours of Monday morning, searching for people who have been swept away by the floods.

Heavy downpours have left a trail of destruction, and assessments to determine the extent of damage is also underway.

ALSO READ: Mop-up operations underway in KZN’s New Hanover after devastating floods

After hours of searching for the missing people who may be have been swept away by floods, rescue teams have managed to find one body.

And with more heavy rains expected, the team says it will he hard to continue with search operations.

Al-Imdaad Foundation head of emergency response search and rescue’s Irfaan Ahmed: "That one body was very difficult to locate in the sense to rescue as well due to the debris and the tall trees that we have behind, the body was entrapped."

He said that the rain expected on Monday afternoon would hamper their efforts.

"The challenge is we are going to be the rain expected this afternoon. Hopefully, while the waters are down, we are going to try and recover those two bodies and bring closure to the families as well."

Residents, especially those in prone areas, have been urged to move to higher ground as more severe rains are set to hit the area.