Unusual snowfalls today caused significant problems on the road network of South Africa, where by noon local time people remained trapped after spending the night inside their vehicles.
The national N3 highway, which connects Johannesburg with the city of Durban on the eastern coast, was one of the hardest hit, with many sections closed, even though traffic diversion was impossible, according to authorities.
Emergency services worked throughout the night and continue to do so in order to provide assistance to those trapped in their cars, but it is currently unknown how many individuals are trapped and their condition, as stated by a spokesperson for the highway management company, Tania Doogra, on the ENCA television network.
Blankets and meals were distributed to some of the trapped drivers, the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government said in a press release published today at noon.
Trucks have been parked on the side of the road since yesterday and “buses operating between provinces have been stuck for about 7 hours at fuel stations,” clarified Simone Jouane, a communications officer for the RTMC, the main body responsible for road safety in the country, to AFP.
In some areas, snow levels reached up to 2 meters, as reported by the road safety promotion organization Arrive Alive in a post on X.
For its part, the South African border management authority announced that it closed three border posts with Lesotho in the western part due to the “significant risk” posed by the weather conditions.
New snowfalls are expected, and authorities have issued alerts in various parts of the country, said a meteorologist, Lutando Masimini, to the French Press Agency, referring to “extreme conditions.”
SOURCE: ANA-MPA