The death toll in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal has reached more than 300, after devastating floods wreaked havoc in the area.

A state of disaster has been declared in the area, after some areas saw months worth of rain fall in one day.

Officials have called it "one of the worst weather storms in the history of our country".

Mudslides have trapped people under buildings, with more floods expected.

There are reports that the rescue effort is being hampered by poor visibility as a helicopter continues to bring people back to safety.

On Tuesday the BBC witnessed one such search operation for a 10-year-old girl who was part of a family of four swept away on a flooded bridge.

Community volunteers waded into the muddy river, taking turns to hack away at the branches using machetes and removing debris and rubbish that had washed downstream.

Jomba Phiri, who lives in the region's main city, Durban, said his house had been swept away in the floods.

"I don't know where we're going to sleep now," he told Reuters news agency.

A submerged fuel tanker in Durban — Image caption,
The KwaZulu-Natal province says it needs more funds to fix the extensive damage

Man standing on debris in Clermont, near Durban — Image caption,
The KwaZulu-Natal province says it needs more funds to fix the extensive damage

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