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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Jason Burke in Johannesburg

After the relentless rain, South Africa sounds the alarm on the climate crisis

A search and rescue team member looks for bodies with the help of a dog, following torrential rains that triggered floods and mudslides, in Umbumbulu, near Durban, South Africa
A search and rescue team member looks for bodies with the help of a dog, following torrential rains that triggered floods and mudslides, in Umbumbulu, near Durban, South Africa. Photograph: Rogan Ward/Reuters

Survivors of South Africa’s devastating floods have described “sheet upon sheet of relentless rain” that washed away entire houses, bridges and roads, killing about 450 people and making thousands homeless.

The storm, which delivered close to an entire year’s usual rainfall in 48 hours, took meteorologists by surprise and has been blamed by experts on climate change. The new disaster comes after three tropical cyclones and two tropical storms hit south-east Africa in just six weeks in the first months of this year.

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