Seven pupils and a teacher have lost their lives during torrential rains that have been pounding KwaZulu-Natal since Sunday night.

Provincial education department spokesperson Sihle Mlotshwa said a teacher died in the Ugu district on the south coast, while five pupils were reported to have drowned in Pinetown. Two pupils died in the Umzinyathi district.

Mlotshwa said the department was still being updated on staff and pupils who were affected by the floods and urged parents to use their discretion during the inclement weather.

Meanwhile, the department said in a statement on Tuesday that dozens of pupils and teachers who had spent a traumatic night trapped at Tholulwazi High School in Molweni, near Pinetown, were rescued during a successful evacuation and taken to Virginia Airport.

“As the education department, we were very worried about the plight of our educators and learners at Tholulwazi High School. We are very relieved that the process of rescuing them has started and we thank God that there was no life lost during the ordeal. The MEC for education in KwaZulu-Natal, Kwazi Mshengu, is equally relieved,” said head of department Nathi Ngcobo.

According to the provincial co-operative governance and traditional affairs department, the floods have claimed at least 45 lives.

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