Fourteen people have been admitted to hospital after 2 retention dams in the Swartland town of Dassenberg – near Malmesbury – collapsed.
The incident happened at around 04h30 on Thursday.
This has led to widespread flooding in the low-lying areas of Riverlands, resulting in 224 being displaced. They are being housed at a local church and the Thusong Centre.
Teams from the disaster relief organization, Gift of the Givers rushed to the area early on Thursday morning. They are providing aid to 444 people at present.
The Swartland Municipality’s Communications and Public Relations Officer, Mart-Marie Haasbroek confirmed that the patients were admitted to the Swartland Provincial Hospital, which is located in Malmesbury.
READ MORE: Thousands affected after dam burst near Malmesbury
“14 people were transported to Swartland Hospital with minor injuries or hypothermia. Currently, no evacuations are required and we call on all residents to remain calm and please give their full cooperation to officials on site,” said Haasbroek.
Flooding outside Malmesbury after dam wall collapsed. Hectic!! https://t.co/lYXsdBU6VM pic.twitter.com/wSkwAktvRu
— vuurtoring (@vuurtoring) August 8, 2024
She also confirmed that the status of the third dam is currently stable. The municipality has urged members of the public to refrain from spreading fake news, which is causing further panic.
ENGINEERS ASSESSING DAMAGE AND ASCERTAINING CAUSE
The West Coast District Municipality’s Communications Manager, Heinrich Roberts added that engineers are hard at work to ascertain the cause of the wall breach.
“At present, operations are two-fold; making sure that those affected and displaced are being cared for at the Riverlands Primary School. Simultaneously, engineers from (the Department of) Water and Sanitation, the City of Cape Town, and the Swartland Municipality are currently assessing the dams in the area to determine what caused the dam walls to burst, and whether the other dams, in the area, are safe,” explained Roberts.
