The confirmed death toll in the Western Cape linked to severe weather over the past week has risen to nine, following the tragic deaths of three farm workers.

The bodies of the three farmworkers were recovered during a mass rescue operation on a farm between Worcester and Rawsonville on Tuesday morning.

The National Sea Rescue Institute says teams were called out to the farm near the old N1 roadway, where they found 23 people, including children and babies, on the roofs of farm buildings. It is believed they had been trapped there since Monday.

The Provincial Health Department earlier confirmed six other weather-related deaths in the Western Cape since severe storms and flooding began last week.

Provincial health authorities say three people died after trees fell on them in Knysna, Kenilworth and George.

In the first recorded death, Knysna auxiliary social worker Lauren Fredericks died on 6 May, as she was on her way to conduct assessments of residents who were evacuated due to the adverse weather conditions. Shortly after stopping, a tree fell on her car.

In the second reported incident, early on Monday morning, 11 May, a person died after a tree fell onto a vehicle in Tennant Road in Kenilworth.

Local councillor Mikhail Manuel says emergency services, SAPS, Law Enforcement and City Parks teams responded quickly to the scene.

The person who passed away was reportedly a passenger in an e-hailing vehicle. The driver escaped without injuries but was taken to the hospital for precautionary checks.

Later on Monday, Southern Cape police confirmed a 63-year-old woman died in Blanco, George, after a tree fell onto her vehicle in Montagu Street.

Police say she had arrived at her workplace and was parking when the incident occurred. She was reportedly an employee at Fancourt.

A fourth person died in Worcester after reportedly falling off a roof, while a fifth fatality was reported in Genadendal when a tree fell over.

And in Meiringspoort near Klaarstroom, a person is believed to have drowned amid the flooding over the weekend.

In a statement released on Monday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his deep sadness at the loss of lives, saying his thoughts are with the families, friends and colleagues of the people who have died.

At the time, the Presidency said it was made aware of at least 10 fatalities linked to severe weather events across several provinces.

The severe weather has caused extensive damage to infrastructure and roads, affecting over 80,000 people in Cape Town alone.