14 dead in Mpuma bridge collapse

06/09/2012 Mother nature wreacked havoc in Pretoria yesterday as the first spring showers turned the city skyline pitch black and forced many people to run for cover. Certain parts of the city also saw hail falling and traffic was moving a snail's pace. Picture: Oupa Mokoena

06/09/2012 Mother nature wreacked havoc in Pretoria yesterday as the first spring showers turned the city skyline pitch black and forced many people to run for cover. Certain parts of the city also saw hail falling and traffic was moving a snail's pace. Picture: Oupa Mokoena

Published Dec 11, 2012

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Fourteen people were killed after a bridge collapsed in eastern Mpumalanga province during heavy rains, officials said on Tuesday.

“We have 14 people killed. The bridge was swept away and four cars just plunged into the water,” provincial safety spokesman Joseph Mabuza said.

The bridge was over a dry river bed but flash floods fill it with water when it rains heavily, Mabuza said. He added that divers had completed their search as all missing people had been accounted for.

Central and eastern regions of South Africa have been hit by torrential rain and hail in the last few days. In KwaZulu Natal province emergency services said four people were injured after a train derailed and fell into a river.

The derailment was caused by erosion from rising water levels. - Reuters

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