Western Cape officials battle snow, floods

2012-07-16 09:39

Cape Town - Western Cape emergency workers successfully battled against heavy flooding and snow at the weekend, it was reported on Monday.

Provincial disaster risk chief Colin Deiner told 567 CapeTalk that about 500 vehicles were freed from heavy snow in Beaufort West.

He said a metre-and-a-half of snow had fallen.

In the Southern Cape, a number of roads were closed due to flooding following heavy rains.

"There was a lot of localised flooding in Knysna, George and Mossel Bay... we were very fortunate in that a lot of proactive work was done and we breached a lot of river-mouths," he told the radio station.

Cape Town disaster risk centre spokesperson Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said villagers from Sir Lowry's Pass had been hardest hit by flooding and were accommodated in a community hall.

According to the Cape Times, rocks were dislodged on Sir Lowry's Pass on Sunday, hitting two cars.

Twelve people, including six children, sustained minor scratches and bruises. The N2, which was jammed with cars driving home after the school holidays, was closed for a while to clear the rocks.

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- SAPA