A mine dam on Sunday burst and sparked flooding that has now swept away houses and cars in central South Africa, officials have confirmed forcing residents to be evacuated from the areas.
Television footage which was obtained by Africa Daily News, New York clearly showed a river of mud and water flowing away from the mine after the burst and into a nearby residential area, which went on to cover roads and sweep houses away, in Jagersfontein, a town about 100 kilometres (62 miles) southwest of the Free State province capital, Bloemfontein.
‘The mine dam in the area burst this morning… around 6:00 am (0400 GMT),’ Palesa Chubisi, a spokeswoman for Free State premier Sisi Ntombela, said in a statement.
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‘The incident has swept away houses and cars,’ she said, but did not provide figures.
Chubisi added no fatalities had been reported so far, but 11 people were taken to local hospitals with minor injuries.
A disaster management team was at the scene to determine the extent of the damage, but the cause was not yet known.
The provincial department of social development said it was assisting with the evacuation of those affected and coordinating relief efforts.
The flooding caused some houses to collapse “leading some members of the community to escape with only the clothes on their backs”, the department said in a statement.
Elsewhere in Nigeria, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), on Tuesday, predicted that no fewer than six states would experience flooding in a matter of few weeks’ time.
In the aftermath of this, the agency has gone on to warn those residing close to flood-prone areas to evacuate before this most dangerous time.
In a statement over the weekend, Director General of NiMet, Prof. Mansur Matazu mentioned the six states as; Borno, Kebbi, Sokoto, Bayelsa, and Delta States.
NiMet Director General further said its soil moisture analysis and the weather patterns showed that some parts of these states are flood high-risk areas.
