KZN Floods: Family Pleads With Government to Help Them Find 10 Missing Loved Ones

• A family in KwaZulu-Natal is desperate to get help from the government after 10 family members went missing
• The Mdlalose family says their loved ones were washed away when their house collapsed in uMzinyathi
• Search and rescue teams from other provinces have been deployed to help KZN officials find missing persons

DURBAN - A family from the uMzinyathi area, Inanda, in KwaZulu-Natal has been left devastated after 10 loved ones were washed away as a result of the devastating floods.

The Mdlalose family is struggling to find the bodies of their loved ones and is desperately looking for help to find their remains in the river they were washed away in.

Speaking to News24, the family says they are yet to receive assistance from the authorities to help them find their relatives. The family has since made the decision to send nine family members to go out and search for the missing individuals.

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While describing their harrowing experience, Amanda Acheampong, a member of the Mdlalose family, says their neighbour's house was the first to collapse, which then resulted in their house collapsing.

Acheampong says four family members were washed away to the river bank while the others were swept into the river. She added that not receiving help from the government has been devastating for them.

"The lack of assistance and compassion from local government and officials have been exceptionally devastating," said Acheampong.

According to SABC News, there are currently 63 people in KZN that have been officially declared missing. The province is receiving assistance from search and rescue teams from other provinces as they try to find the missing.

Non-profit organisation Gift of Givers has also stepped in to assist in search and rescue efforts.

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The official death toll is now at 443 as a result of the floods.

KZN floods: Policewoman and police dog die during search and rescue mission

Briefly News previously reported that Newly-appointed National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola has confirmed that a police officer who formed part of the Pietermaritzburg search and rescue team died while on duty.

The officer was Sergeant Busisiswe Mjwara, aged 42, and she was being assisted by a police dog, Leah, from the Durban Central Search and Rescue (SAR) unit.

According to The Witness, Mjwara and Leah were conducting rescue operations in the Msunduzi river, where three people had drowned. Mjwara then started to experience difficulty and subsequently drowned.

Leah had attempted to help the policewoman but unfortunately also experienced challenges that led to her death as well. Mjwara was airlifted to a hospital but was declared dead upon arrival.

Source: Briefly News