JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Unusually late snowstorms battered coastal areas of South Africa over the weekend, killing two people and closing several of the country’s major highways.
The deaths were attributed to hypothermia after the two people were trapped in vehicles stranded by heavy snow on the N3 highway, the main route into the coastal city of Durban. One of the victims was a 39-year-old woman who was trapped in a minibus.
The province of KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State were hit hardest by the storms, with officials warning that some areas could face flooding as the snow melts. Many farmers’ crops were buried under snow for two days.
Emergency services were busy towing away dozens of trucks and other vehicles stuck in the snow, while others handed out food and hot drinks to drivers who had been stranded for hours.
Motorists are warned to drive carefully in the areas that have been cleared.
Schools were closed in KwaZulu-Natal, while provincial minister for cooperative governance Thulasizwe Buthelez warned that communities along the Tugela River could face flooding.
“With schools remaining closed, parents are urged to keep their children away from unguarded water bodies, including rivers and dams,” Buthelezi said.
