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Boats were deployed to evacuate 23 farmworkers and their families to safety in the Cape Boland on Tuesday after they had spent the night trapped by rising floodwaters.
Three people were found deceased in a building. The cause of death is yet to be ascertained.
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) sent a team to work alongside provincial emergency services teams to help those stranded on the property between Worcester and Rawsonville on the Old N1 roadway.
They had climbed onto the roofs of farm buildings as the waters rose during the storm that hit the province.
Once lifted down with the help of ladders, the families, “including babies, toddlers, children, adults, the elderly, one blind man and one paraplegic man, were evacuated to safety in relays using our rescue craft”, the NSRI said.
“Our rescue crew worked tirelessly despite challenging conditions, often wading and swimming through barely accessible terrain and flooded areas.
”During the operation two deceased males and a deceased female were located and recovered from flooded buildings on the farm. The bodies of the deceased have been taken into the care of police and government health forensic pathology services."
TimesLIVE
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