At least nine people have been killed and thousands uprooted from their homes as Cape Town and surrounding areas in South Africa were hit by the worst storm in 30 years.
The storm which started on Tuesday and got worse on Wednesday, blew fires and forced evacuations by the army, police and emergency services.
Reports say most affected are people from the shanty towns, who are recovering from recent worst drought, as floods and heavy rains washed away their homes.
In one incident, four people from the same family died in a fire caused by lightening. Three others died in another fire and one died when a house collapsed.
Media reports say strong winds fanned fires in the countryside east of Cape Town, forcing evacuations including in the popular resort town of Knysna. It’s said, more than two dozen fires were reported in the area, which are home to dense forests, providing plenty of material for the spread of wild fires.
According to the South African weather service, the storm is expected to dump more than 50mm of rain in some areas and to trigger waves up to 12m.
Image: Accuweather