Severe weather conditions in South Africa and Colombia provoke floods and landslides that leave dozens of people dead and hundreds homeless.

By Vatican News

60 people have died following flooding and mudslides in South Africa’s Province of KwaZulu-Natal, and some 1,000 people are without a home or shelter.

With roads and buildings swept away by the torrential rains, rescuers continue to search for victims and fear the number of casualties could rise.

The Province of KwaZulu-Natal is on South Africa’s eastern coastline. Its capital is the city of Durban. A severe weather warning has been confirmed for the area and further flooding is expected.

Meanwhile, a continent away in Colombia, heavy rains and floods caused a landslide in the south-western town of Rosas which killed 28 people, with others still missing. 8 houses were buried in the mud and entire families were wiped out.

The Bishops of Colombia have expressed their solidarity with all those affected by the floods. They say they are close to all those who are working to accompany and assist the communities that are suffering, and have called for nationwide gestures of solidarity.