Storm damage at Limpopo hospital

"The hospital's buildings were hit from the west side where roof tiles were blown away and rain poured directly onto the exposed ceilings."

The Zebediela Hospital in Magatle was damaged in a heavy thunder and hail storm, the Limpopo health department said on Monday.

The storm damaged the hospital on Sunday, said spokeswoman Adele van der Linde.

"The hospital's buildings were hit from the west side where roof tiles were blown away and rain poured directly onto the exposed ceilings."

The hail and falling tiles broke some of the hospital's windows.

As the wards were flooded, patients were taken to safer areas within the building.

The storm damaged the hospital's labour rooms, post-natal and antenatal units, and the foyer in the maternity ward.

The female and male wards, the pharmacy, out patients department and casualty, the residential area and the tuck shop were also affected.

As a result, no critical patients were being cared for at the moment, Van der Linde said.

The department was assessing the extent of the damage and planned to fix the structure as soon as possible.