A mine dam burst and sparked flooding that swept away houses and cars in central South Africa, officials said on Sunday, forcing residents to be evacuated.

Television footage showed a river of mud and water flowing away from the mine and into a nearby residential area, covering roads and sweeping houses away, in Jagersfontein, a town about 100 kilometres (62 miles) southwest of the Free State province capital, Bloemfontein.

"The mine dam in the area burst this morning... around 6:00 am (0400 GMT)," Palesa Chubisi, a spokeswoman for Free State premier Sisi Ntombela, said in a statement.

"The incident has swept away houses and cars," she said, but did not provide figures.

Chubisi added no fatalities had been reported so far, but 11 people were taken to local hospitals with minor injuries.

A disaster management team was at the scene to determine the extent of the damage, but the cause was not yet known.

The provincial department of social development said it was assisting with the evacuation of those affected and coordinating relief efforts.

The flooding caused some houses to collapse "leading some members of the community to escape with only the clothes on their backs", the department said in a statement.

Related Links
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Hydropower dams induce widespread species extinctions across Amazonian forest islands
Norwich UK (SPX) Aug 30, 2022
Hydropower developments should avoid flooding forests to minimise biodiversity loss and disruptions to ecosystems in Amazonian forest islands, new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) finds. Deforestation, habitat loss and fragmentation are linked and are driving the ongoing biodiversity crisis, with hydropower to blame for much of this degradation. In lowland tropical forests, river damming typically floods vast low-elevation areas, while previous ridgetops often become insular fores ... read more