Official: Death toll in South Africa rains approaching 70

A Durban resident stands over debris at the Quarry road informal settlement after torrential rains and flash floods hit the area yesterday. [AFP]

Almost 70 people have been killed in South Africa after torrential rains along the eastern coast, an official said on Thursday, and rescuers are still recovering bodies.

KwaZulu-Natal province, where most of the deaths occurred after the downpours led to flooding and mudslides, has heavy rain every year, but they rarely kill so many people in such a short space of time.