Johannesburg, April 19, 2022, SPA -- Storms in South Africa have killed at least 443 people and dozens are still missing, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday as he announced a national state of disaster according to the dpa. About 48 people were still unaccounted for, Ramaphosa said in a televised speech. Some 200 to 400 millimetres of rain hit the province of KwaZulu-Natal in the 24-hours from April 11, he said. The rain had caused extensive damage to roads, bridges and houses and had disrupted food and fuel supplies. An estimated 40,000 people have been displaced by flooding, Ramaphosa said. "This is a humanitarian disaster that calls for a massive and urgent relief effort. The lives, health and well-being of thousands of people are still at risk." The port of Durban, one of Africa's largest cargo ports, has been closed, while in some areas there was no electricity or running water. "A comprehensive assessment of the economic cost of these floods still has to be made, but it is clear that it will run into billions of rands for the rebuilding of infrastructure and loss of production," Ramaphosa said. --SPA 11:15 LOCAL TIME 08:15 GMT 0009 www.spa.gov.sa/w1722866