Eastern Cape Flood Death Toll Reaches 78

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A government minister says the death toll in floods in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province has risen to 78. Rescue teams are still working through debris and floodwater to find missing people and retrieve bodies after heavy rain caused a river to burst its banks in the predawn hours of Tuesday. Floods hit the nearby town of Mthatha and surrounding areas, sweeping away victims along with parts of their houses and their cars. The missing previously included four high school students who were swept away when their bus was caught up in the floods. Authorities did not immediately say if those four children were among the latest bodies retrieved.