JOHANNESBURG — Unseasonably late snowstorms battered coastal areas of South Africa over the weekend, killing two individuals and forcing the closure of a few of the nation’s main highways.
The deaths have been attributed to hypothermia after the 2 individuals have been caught in automobiles stranded by heavy snowfall on the N3 freeway, which is the most important path to the coastal metropolis of Durban. One of many victims was a 39-year-old lady caught in a minibus.
The province of KwZulu-Natal and Free State have been worst hit by the storms, and officers warned that some areas may expertise flooding because the snow begins to soften. The crops of many farmers have been buried below snow for 2 days.
Emergency personnel have been towing dozens of vans and different automobiles that have been caught within the snow, whereas others distributed meals and heat drinks to drivers who had been stranded for hours.
Motorists have been warned to drive rigorously in areas which were cleared.
Colleges have been closed in KwaZulu-Natal, the place the provincial minister for cooperative governance, Thulasizwe Buthelez, warned that communities alongside the Tugela River could expertise flooding.
“As colleges stay closed, mother and father are urged to maintain youngsters away from unguarded our bodies of water, together with rivers and dams,” Buthelezi mentioned.
