South Africa: Tornado Leaves 2 Dead, 20 Injured

Two people have lost their lives and 20 more were left injured after a tornado struck South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province on Tuesday, 12 November.

Travelling at winds of up to 135 km/h, the tornado left a trail of desolation in its wake after hitting New Hanover and Greytown – both areas located north of Pietermaritzburg.

Damage from the tornado includes severe flooding, destruction of infrastructure, trees being uprooted, and power outages.

Ross Campbell – a spokesperson for the ER24 emergency service – confirmed the two deaths, which occurred at the Mpolweni settlement near Wartberg.

He said: “Provincial medics were already on the scene, having assisted with nine patients. Two adults were unfortunately declared dead on the scene.”

Campbell added: “ER24 set up a triage area, and treated and transported a further nine patients for minor to moderate injuries to various hospitals in the area. Provincial [emergency services] also transported a further two [injured], bringing the total injured on scene to 20.”

Disaster relief measures continue to be carried out in the affected areas.