Receding floodwaters that submerged homes days before left the residents of Mthatha, South Africa, helpless. They watched the bodies of their families and

At least 49 people are confirmed dead after flooding hit South Africa, including children whose school bus was swept away during the extreme weather, officials said.

The death toll in floods in one of South Africa's poorest provinces rose to at least 78 on Thursday as a top official said rescue attempts in the first hours after the disaster had been "paralyzed" by a lack of resources.

At least 57 people were confirmed dead Wednesday as floods devastated one of South Africa’s poorest provinces. Officials said the toll was expected to rise as more bodies are recovered in the search for missing people.

As the death toll rises to 67 from the recent floods in the Eastern Cape, Dr Mary-Jane Bopape., Managing Director of the South African Environmental Observation Network (NRF-SAEON), along with her research collaborators,