Hundreds of homes were destroyed when a tornado tore through the town of Ficksburg in the Free State province yesterday afternoon, emergency officials said. At least one person was killed, but the full extent of the damage is not yet known. Last night, a second tornado hit the East Rand and caused extensive damage to Duduza, near Nigel.

Chris Botha, a spokesman for Netcare 911, spoke of the damage to the Ficksburg area:

Reports from Ficksburg indicate that a tornado has swept through the town leaving more than 1 000 houses destroyed. A total of 42 patients have now been transported to hospital, two of them are in a very serious condition.

A nine-year-old boy was confirmed dead yesterday, but search-and-rescue teams were still sifting through the damage and were not sure whether there may be more victims or not.

Ficksburg is situated in the Eastern Free State between the Maluti Mountains. It is the closest town to the Lesotho border.  It is well known for it’s scenic game farms.

Damage near Ficksburg…

Hundreds of homes were destroyed in the Ficksburg twister…

The Ficksburg twister from the distance…

Bystanders look on in shock as they assess the damage…

In the second incident near Nigel, east of Johannesburg, a tornado ripped through Duduza township and injured some 105 people.

Ekurhuleni mayoral spokesperson Prince Hamnca:

Some are still being treated but we will only be able to give proper information tomorrow [today]. They [emergency services staff] are doing a head count.

Tornadoes are not uncommon in South Africa, and the deadliest single tornado to hit the country was back in January 1999 when one struck near Mount Ayliff, located some 200 kilometers southwest of Durban.

25 people were killed in that incident, and a further 500 were injured when the category F4 Tornado hit the town.

[Sources: IOL, IrishWeatherOnline, News24]