Durban – Two people were killed and 20 injured following a tornado that hit Mpolweni settlement near Wartburg, KwaZulu Natal on Tuesday night.
According to Ross Campbell, ER24 spokesperson paramedics arrived on scene at 5:20 pm after having received a call from Disaster Management and Search & Rescue to assist on the scene.
Campbell said provincial medics were already on the scene, having assisted with 9 patients.
“Two adults were unfortunately declared dead on the scene. ER24 set up a triage area and treated and transported another 9 patients for minor to moderate injuries to various hospitals in the area.
“Provincial also transported a further two bringing the total injured on the scene to 20.
“An adult woman who had suffered serious injuries as a result of losing control of her vehicle during the storm was treated with Advanced Life Support interventions before being taken to Mediclinic Pietermaritzburg for further care.”
Campbell said many animals were reported to have been injured or killed in the area and power lines are also down.
“The Fire Department and SAPS were also on the scene. The rescue effort was called off at 23:53 last night and resumed again this morning.”
Video footage of a tornado believed to have swept through the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands has gone viral on social media.
East Coast Radio reported that the South African Weather Services confirmed that the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands was hit by a tornado on Tuesday afternoon.
“At this stage, we can confirm that there was a severe thunderstorm over New Hanover, which developed and formed a tornado. The winds that were driving the storm were quite strong, ranging between 25 and 37 km/h and eventually, a tornado was formed,” forecaster, Wiseman Dlamini said.
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