Flooding in South Africa kills 7, and rescue crews are searching for another 7 missing people

Six people died in Durban and one in Port Sheptsone, a beachside town about 120 kilometers to south

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Seven people have died and another seven are missing after days of heavy rainfall triggered floods in and around the South African city of Durban, local government authorities said Friday.

Six people died in Durban and one in Port Sheptsone, a beachside town about 120 kilometers (75 miles) to the south. Rescue teams are still searching for seven more people, the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government said.

Authorities said they recovered the bodies of a woman in her 20s and a teenage girl in a canal in Durban to take the death toll to seven.

Around 70 houses have been destroyed and more than 100 damaged in the wild weather. More than 150 people have been left homeless, the provincial government said. People were taking refuge in schools and other buildings, local officials said.

Heavy rains and strong winds have battered South Africa’s east coast this week. The unusual weather also resulted in a type of tornado called a “landspout” ripping through one area on the outskirts of Durban, with winds recorded at more than 100 miles per hour (160 kilometres per hour), according to the South African Weather Service.