8 people electrocuted as floods cause deaths and damage across South Africa’s Western Cape

By GERALD IMRAY
Associated Press

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Emergency services say eight people including four children have been killed by electrocution in two separate events after days of heavy rain caused floods in impoverished informal settlements near the South African city of Cape Town. Many homes in the poor townships on the outskirts of South Africa’s second-biggest city have illegal and dangerous makeshift electricity connections. A storm front hit the Cape Town area and the larger Western Cape province for three days. It caused rivers to burst their banks and flood residential areas and major roads. Coastal regions and inland areas have been affected and hundreds have been evacuated.