Five bodies recovered following heavy rains in Durban

Search and rescue teams have recovered five bodies in the south of Durban following heavy overnight rains.

Three bodies, including two children, were found at Cuttings Beach, while the other two were recovered at Ansley and Brighton Beach. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether these are the bodies of the six people who were washed away in Lamontville.

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Cooperative Governance, Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, has urged residents in low-lying areas to seek shelter on higher ground.

“The South African Weather Service has issued a level 2 warning for further rain throughout the day,” says Buthelezi.

A Family escaped as the roadway collapsed beneath their house in Mobeni https://t.co/qMoWGj25ha#ArriveAlive #RoadwayCollapse @AlsParamedics pic.twitter.com/SX6ccc6vb1

— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) February 26, 2025

Heavy rains have caused severe flooding in key roads and residential areas in the south of Durban and along the province’s south coast. Several roads are impassable and informal dwellings have been destroyed.

The Mhlongo family in Lamontville is still waiting for emergency teams to locate the bodies of their missing relatives.

Ntombikhona Mhlongo described the moment she tried to save her mother from being washed away.

“The water was so fast, very high, they couldn’t make it because the water pulled them out. But me and my sister, and her kids survived, but they were just washed away in front of us. We couldn’t help them, we have no power to help them. We watched them move away by the water, the others. Five guys, they came to pull us this search because we were stranded here, there’s no way out,” Mhlongo said.

Five bodies recovered in Durban as search for missing continues