At least two people were killed and 20 injured in the tornado that occurred at New Hanover in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday.
ER24 spokesman Ross Campbell said two people from the Mpolweni settlement near Wartburg died from injuries sustained in the severe storm.
The emergency service was called to the settlement at about 5:20 pm by provincial disaster management personnel where other paramedics were already treating nine people.
The two people were pronounced dead at the scene. He said ER24 treated nine more people for minor and moderate injuries and they were transported to various hospitals.
“The provincial emergency services treated two more people. The total number of people injured in the tornado here is 20. ”
He said a woman also sustained serious injuries after losing control of her vehicle during the storm.
“Many animals were also killed or injured during the tornado while power poles were damaged. As reported earlier, a video of the tornado was widely shared on social media Tuesday afternoon.
The South African Weather Service could not confirm that it was a tornado by Tuesday evening, but said the possibility was high that it was one.
“Various warnings about severe thunderstorms in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape have been issued. Any severe thunderstorm has the potential to form a tornado if conditions are favorable. ”
