Durban 'disaster tourists' at risk
2007-03-19 16:57
Durban - "Disaster tourists" are risking life and limb by flocking to the coast to photograph the rubble-strewn disaster area.
The "Golden Mile" beachfront was pounded by massive surf in the early hours of Monday, leaving the area littered with debris.
ER24 operations manager Neil Noble told News24 on Monday that there were "hundreds of thousands" of people crowding the promenade, trying to take photos.
Noble said: "It's become something of a 'disaster tourism', with people taking photos and putting them up on websites."
Speaking from the beachfront, he said: "We just need one freak wave and that's it."
'Loss of life can be expected'
The emergency services warned: "At any time more swells could assault the beaches, and if the area is as congested as it is at the moment, loss of life can be expected."
Noble said that police, life guards and ER24 staff were trying to evacuate people from the area, using cordoning-off tape and loudspeakers.
"Some of them are listening, but most are not," he said. "People are bringing their kids down here, it's just not right."
Durban's weather office has confirmed that Monday and Tuesday could see even-bigger waves hitting the beleaguered coast, with the situation normalising by Wednesday once the winds have stopped.