The almost rainless skies on Sunday seemed to offer some respite for South Africa, whose east coast was hit by floods that left 443 people dead, according to a new figure, with twelve- dozens are still missing.

Most of the victims were recorded in the Durban region, a port city of 3.5 million KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) residents that is open to the Indian Ocean and where heavy rains poured in for a week causing floods. . and deadly landslides.

There are now 443 dead, provincial minister Sihle Zikalala said at a press conference. There are 63 people still missing.

The rain is still pouring in some areas but not much compared to the previous days. The risk of flooding in KwaZulu-Natal is low todayforecaster Puseletso Mofokeng, of the national institute of meteorology, assured the AFP. The rain will completely disappear on Wednesday and until the end of next week.

In recent days, ministers and traditional leaders, Zulu King Misuzulu Zulu and President Cyril Ramaphosa, who have postponed a trip abroad, have been on the ground to assess the extent of the damage and support the orphans.

Families were destroyed, several members lost within seconds. Children and infants died, drowned or were buried in mudslides.

Calls to prayer

This Easter Sunday, calls for prayer for the victims increased during religious gatherings.

This is a tragedy of so many dimensionssaid Thabo Makgoba, Archbishop of Cape Town and successor to Desmond Tutu, referring stress and pain for the community.

Emergency services are still alert, but they receive fewer calls. The number of flood -related cases has decreasedRobert McKenzie, who was part of the relief, told AFP.

A team was in the morning in the suburb of Pinetown. A house collapsed overnight. Fortunately the flood waters subsided and some roads were cleaned so it was easier to accessexplanation of the rescuer.

Nearly 340 social service representatives were deployed to provide psychological support to the affected areas. The distribution of food vouchers, school uniforms and blankets continues.

Hundreds of millions of euros in damages

More than 250 schools were affected. Nearly 4,000 homes were damaged, more than 13,500 were damaged. Many hospitals, heavily used for the injured, were damaged.

Authorities expect hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. The region had already experienced widespread destruction in July during a period of unprecedented riots and looting.

The poorest, in the townships, were noticeably hit by bad weather. Houses made of sheets of corrugated steel or simple planks of wood, often built on the unstable and easy to flood, did not last long in the deluge.

In some parts of the province, water and electricity have been cut off since Monday. Desperate residents were seen carrying buckets of water in carts on the side of the road. There is not enough food, the leftovers are rotten.

Donations are collected nationwide, especially at fire stations. Pasta, preserves, covers. Emergency government assistance of $ 85 million (one billion rand) was announced.

Every year, the hurricane season from November to April releases hurricanes into southern Africa. Countries like Madagascar or Mozambique are regularly hit by deadly storms. But South Africa is generally saved.