At a Glance

The death toll rose to 60 Wednesday after heavy rains triggered flash flooding and mudslides in South Africa.Dozens more were injured.Hundreds have been evacuated.

The death toll from flash flooding in South Africa rose to 60 Wednesday, as days of heavy rain continue to trigger flash flooding and mudslides.

The flooding forced more than 1,000 people to flee homes threatened by rising waters and mudslides. Some refused to leave their homes over fears of looting, the Associated Press reported.

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the area on Wednesday, laying a wreath for the dead.

"It was important to come and see what has happened. We pass our condolences to the families of those who have died in this disaster," he said on site. "We are saddened by what has happened here. The loss of life is never easy, especially when so unexpected," the British Broadcasting Corporation reported.

Nomusa Dube-Ncube, a member of the executive council of the Co-Operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), told reporters on Wednesday officials continue to assess damage from the flooding.

On Tuesday Dube-Scube told journalists Tuesday had been "inflicted on public and private infrastructure" throughout the province of KwaZulu-Natal, including Durban, Times Live reported.

"From where we stand, we have reports of collapsed walls, and mud slides as well as roads that have been flooded," she said. "The extent of damage to infrastructure includes flooded and blocked roads, collapsed buildings and perimeter walls, blocked storm-water drains and sewer lines, flooded buildings and households and power outages as a result of electric cable damage."

Hundreds of homes and two universities in Durban alone have been damaged, the Associated Press reported.

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At least 60 are reported dead, but the death toll is expected to rise.

Rescue Care spokesman Garrith Jamieson told reporters including a six-month-old infant and another young child, were killed in the flooding, Eyewitness News reports.

"In Overport, we had a house collapse with one person killed," said Jamieson. "Three kids were washed away from a mudslide but the community managed to rescue two of them; however, the 15-year-old girl has passed away."

Meanwhile, as water levels rose in Port St. Johns, in the Eastern Cape, Eyewitness News Reported.

Rescue Care spokesman Robert Mulaudzi told reporters Tuesday that they are on high alert in Johannesburg.

“We’re urging all our motorists to continue to keep safe following distance, make sure that they obey rules of the road. We’ll remain on high alert, monitoring all our low-lying areas to make sure that we can respond to any emergency that might occur.”

Schools and universities were closed Tuesday and the South African National Defense Force was deployed to the Eastern Cape to help with rescues and evacuations in Port St. Johns.

The heavy rains in South Africa have been caused by a slow-moving area of low pressure in the upper atmosphere. Additional rainfall is possible into Wednesday before the storm system moves eastward away from Africa.