S.Africa releases emergency funds for deadly floods on east coast

Men sift through the rubble of a church which collapsed onto a house killing four children in Clermont, Durban, South Africa, April 13, 2022. REUTERS/Rogan Ward

DURBAN (Reuters) - South African authorities were releasing emergency funds on Friday to help tens of thousands of people left without shelter, water and electricity by flash floods that washed away homes and roads and killed more than 300 people on the country's east coast.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana told TV station Newsroom Afrika that an initial billion rand ($68.30 million) for emergency relief was available for immediate use -- local authorities have estimated the damage at several billion rand -- and that more would follow.