Death toll in flood-hit South African province rises to 49

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -The death toll from floods in South Africa's Eastern Cape province has risen to 49, the head of the province said on Wednesday.

Parts of South Africa have been lashed by heavy rain and snow since the weekend, in a severe winter cold front that has disrupted transport and power networks.

"The status has escalated to 49 (deaths)," Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane told a press conference.

Earlier, a school bus was swept away by floods near Mthatha and a provincial safety official said eight bodies were recovered.

Mabuyane said the report he had received said six people on the bus had been discovered dead and four were still missing. The vehicle had been carrying 13 schoolchildren and two adults.

Flooding has become more common and severe in South Africa as the impacts of climate change are felt.

A storm on the East Coast in April 2022 killed about 400 people and left thousands homeless.

(Reporting by Siyanda Mthethwa, Sfundo Parakozov and Tim Cocks;Editing by Alexander Winning and Ed Osmond)

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