Floods close Kruger Park

A night game drive in the Kruger National Park turned into a nightmare when torrential floods left a group of holiday makers stranded at a picnic site.

SA National Parks spokesman Reynold Thakhuli said yesterday: "We had six tourists that went on a game drive and they got stuck [on Tuesday] night at one of the picnic sites."

The group were airlifted to safety by one of the park's helicopters as the rain continued to pour down.

"They had minor injuries and are now receiving medical attention," he said.

The rain, which began on Tuesday night and only began to ease off late yesterday afternoon, has forced authorities to close gates and evacuate guests from flooded camps as roads turned into rivers.

Outside the park, flooding in the Hoedspruit area has left many others stranded.

Liza de Vente, 26, is stuck at a farmhouse near Hoedspruit without electricity and clean water.

Late yesterday afternoon De Vente said the Blyde River that flows through the property was already 2metres higher than it had been during the last flood in 2000.

De Vente expects to be stranded at the farm for the next two days, but that depends on whether or not the rain stops.

SA Weather Service forecaster Elizabeth Webster predicted a 60% chance of rain today, 30% chance of rain tomorrow and no rain on Saturday. Heavy rain is classified as more than 50mm of rain in 24 hours.

The Hoedspruit weather station, close to the Kruger Park's gates, measured 267mm of rain between 8am on Tuesday and 8am yesterday. A further 100mm of rain fell in six hours yesterday, between 8am and 2pm.

Water levels in lower Sabie had reached the fence at the edge of the camp site where about 30 people were evacuated yesterday.

One of the park's private game lodges, Phinda, is under water. An unknown number of guests were evacuated from there and from the Tinga private lodge, said Thakhuli.

The Skukuza and Letaba camps have been cut off. Staff accommodation in both camps and the generator and petrol station in Letaba were also flooded.

Part of the road between Satara and Orpen has been closed.

The road between Letaba and Phalaborwa was closed most of yesterday but reopened in the late afternoon. The Crocodile Bridge gate and Giriyondo border post have been closed as well as the Biyamiti, Shimuwini and Talamati bush camps.

The extent of the damage caused by the flooding is not yet known.

Article source: www.sowetanlive.co.za

Images source: www.news24.com