Up to 10,000 people in the
South African coastal resort of Knysna have been evacuated as
wildfires fanned by strong winds ripped through the town, razing
homes and other properties, officials said on Thursday.
Eight people have been killed, three of them in the Knysna
area, as the worst storm to hit Cape Town in three decades made
landfall late on Tuesday before hurtling eastwards along what is
known as South Africa's "Garden Route".
"Humanitarian support is being co-ordinated for an estimated
8,000 to 10,000 residents of the greater Knysna area, after
devastating fires last night," said James-Brent Styan, spokesman
for the Western Cape local government ministry.
The bush wildfires, driven by winds in excess of 50 km (30
miles) an hour, destroyed property in 20 suburbs as buses were
sent to evacuate trapped residents of the tourist town, renowned
for its oysters and rugged coastal scenery.
According to the South African Weather Service, 37
millimetres of rain fell at Cape Town airport. Other areas
recorded as much as 131 mm of rain.
Thousands of people in shantytowns, who have had to cope
with the region's worst drought in a century, have been hardest
hit, as floods and heavy rain washed away homes built of planks
and zinc sheets.
