WATCH: Durban hit by torrential rain, causes flooding
Updated | By Shaun Ryan, Lethiwe Mdluli
Torrential rains are wreaking havoc from the south of Durban right through to the south coast, causing widespread flooding and damage.
Dominic Mitchell has been speaking to Newswatch from his car. He was stuck in his car on the N2 heading to Amanzimtoti this morning.
"I was driving along the N2, heading towards Amanzimtoti. Suddenly, there was heavy rain. I drive a big car, so I thought it would be fine. The rain got more and more intense and the wind then came. The wind was basically rocking the car," he says.
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Mitchell says motorists are getting out of their vehicles in the storm and are trying to push their cars to the side of the road.
"I'd say 90% of cars tried to pull up on the side of the road. A whole lot of cars stopped under the bridge - in all three lanes. That blocked the freeway as well," he says.
Heavy rains have caused flooding on Kingsway Road, in Amanzimtoti. #Durbanrains pic.twitter.com/4sWM2FBybY
— ECR_Newswatch (@ECR_Newswatch) October 10, 2017
Roads agency, SANRAL in KZN says vehicles on the N2 in and around Amanzimtoti are seeking shelter under bridges.
NOW READ: Warning for heavy rain, thunderstorms in KZN
It's bucketing from Higginson Highway to Prospecton with reports of flooding coming through from areas along the south coast as well as in Umbogintwini. So the message from authorities is to stay away from those areas for now.
N2 in the vicinity of Amanzimtoti and Galleria Mall. #KZNTraffic pic.twitter.com/HxVfJVD41j
— ECR Traffic (@ecrtraffic) October 10, 2017
Meanwhile, emergency services are on the ground in the Amanzimtoti area assisting people who have been caught up in the flooding.
Rescue Care's Garrith Jamieson says they were initially called to a taxi accident on the N2. He says the vehicle had somehow gotten stuck in a trench.
"People were stuck inside and too scared to get out. Paramedics went in and assisted them to get to safety," he says.
Jamieson says they were then called to a house in Kingsway that had been flooded.
For more on this and other developing stories, here's your latest Newswatch bulletin.
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