Cape Town floods kill 8 people in electrocution incidents
Tuesday September 26 2023
Waves spray water on structures on the seaside of Kalk Bay in Cape Town, South Africa on September 17, 2023. PHOTO | GIANLUIGI GUERCIA | AFP
Eight people, including four children, died by electrocution in two slums after torrential rains lashed Cape Town, South African authorities said Tuesday.
The deaths occurred on the outskirts of the southern port city, its disaster risk management unit said Tuesday.
Local media reports said the electrocutions were caused by illegal power connections.
Many people in informal settlements around Cape Town live in makeshift homes built with corrugated iron sheets.
Read: 41 hurt in unexplained South Africa blast
Record levels of rain fell on the Western Cape region, where Cape Town is located, between Sunday and Monday, Anton Bredell, the provincial minister for environmental affairs said.
He said things were "under control," adding: "We are busy with the mop up, the recovery phase".
About 1,500 structures and 6,000 people were affected by flooding, he said.
Scores of people were evacuated, according to city authorities.