South Africa has sent a team to help rescue efforts after a local politician was swept away by floods while visiting neighboring Mozambique.
Andile Mngwevu, a councilor in the municipality of Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, and four others were in Mozambique’s Gaza province when their car got stuck in floods, officials said.
Only one of the passengers has been accounted for – the “status and whereabouts of the other occupants remain unconfirmed”, the municipality said in a statement.
The flooding devastated parts of both countries and resulted in Mozambican President Daniel Chapo canceling his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos.
His South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, confirmed that two helicopters had been sent to help Mozambique “for several days until their situation subsides”.
Weeks of flooding in Mozambique have damaged infrastructure and killed more than 100 people.
The rainy season has now begun in central and northern Mozambique, with more heavy rains forecast in many parts of the country, ushering in the annual typhoon season.