Search and rescue and emergency workers combed through rubble at two houses in Springfield, Durban, which collapsed after heavy downpours in the early hours of Tuesday morning, claiming three lives and entrapping others.

SAPS search and rescue, firefighters and paramedics, with the help of neighbours, sifted through mountains of rubble in Lotus Road, Springfield, which was devastated by mudslides.

Scores of neighbours lined the streets and looked on in disbelief as the teams worked furiously in wet conditions to find entrapped family members.

Neighbours said so far, three people — a six-year-old, a 21-year-old and a policewoman — were feared dead when their homes collapsed.

Landlord LeeAnne Govindsamy said three policewomen rented a granny cottage with one of their children, a five-year-old boy.

“We knew the area was flooding and saw the water on the road. It happened so fast around 2am. We couldn’t do anything, the whole thing [granny flat] just collapsed. It just came crashing down.

“The two ladies grabbed the boy and ran into the bathroom, but I think the third lady was trapped. My husband told them to break the window and jump onto our balcony and that’s how they escaped.”

Govindsamy said the policewoman who died was attached to the Durban central police station and her family in Vryheid had not been notified.

One resident said: “We have never seen anything like this in 51 years. We had our hands full at midnight, when we tried to block the sands coming down the massive banks which border the suburb.”

Neighbours said the family of the six-year-old were moved to a relative’s house.

This is a developing story.

Additional reporting Orrin Singh

TimesLIVE

Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.