With the heavy rainfall throughout KwaZulu Natal wreaking havoc over the last few days, a longstanding temple together with many homes in Chatsworth, south of Durban have been washed away.
Devotees and residents of the Umhlatuzana temple gathered outside the temple premises which were washed away with the heavy rains, earlier today. The community were left in shock and shared emotions of sadness after seeing their place of worship being washed away. The temple road also collapsed. Residents claimed that after this dark phase passes and the river stream subsides, they plan on reconstructing the temple building. Elderly residents shed tears as they watched the holy building being washed away.
Meanwhile, a portion of Grasmere Avenue in Croftdene had to be cordoned off after a home was washed onto the roadway following a mudslide.
Residents in the area were awoken by a loud sound at around 3am in the morning when the Grasmere Ashram wall collapsed.
Shortly after, a family who lived two doors away from the ashram were washed away with their home onto the roadway.
Speaking to a resident, he said that members of the community gathered and firstly rescued the mother who was covered in mud up to her neck, while she held her daughter in the air. They are both reported to be in a stable condition. The man in his 30’s who was fully buried in the rubble was rescued and transported to a local hospital. He suffered severe injuries.
Another home together with a sub station was washed away in the Silverglen area. Residents were forced to evacuate their homes and move to a place of safety. Residents in the area are still experiencing incidents of power failure. Naked cords are exposed in the area where the sub station had collapsed. Three cars were also buried under the rubble on Silverglen Drive.
In Bayview, a flat was on the verge of collapsing when a bank directly in front of the flat washed away. Other areas including Croftdene, Crossmoor and Havenside saw incidents of mudslides.
Multiple roads were also barricaded due to debris, trees and rubble covering lanes on roads.
