South Africa declares national disaster as flooding death toll rises to 92

Authorities have appealed for residents to report missing people so rescuers could better understand how many people they were still looking for (Themba Hadebe/AP)

South Africa was under a declared state of national disaster on Thursday as the death toll from floods caused by severe rains in the Eastern Cape region rose to 92.

The Eastern Cape government honoured the victims of last week’s floods with a provincial Day of Mourning and a memorial service at King Sabatha Dalindyebo Technical and Vocational Education and Training College in Mthatha, one of the few schools whose infrastructure remained intact.