Death toll reaches 400 in floods in South Africa

The death toll has officially reached 400 and is expected to increase as search-and-rescue operations continue in flood-hit South Africa.

Flooding has caused homelessness for thousands of people with roads and bridges destroyed and at least 248 schools damaged.

The disaster hit the eastern city of Durban, where more than 300 people have died in the floods.

The police in South Africa used stun grenades to disperse a crowd calling for an increase of quality official aid for victims as a demonstration on Thursday briefly blocked a major highway in Durban.

The president, Cyril Ramaphosa, described a “catastrophe of enormous proportions” and attributed the disaster to climate change.

African countries can face deadly storms between November and April, but this is very unusual.