1.
CU: Floodwater pouring into and over roofs of cars.
0.10

2.
GV: Wrecked cars and caravans. (SIX SHOTS)
0.34

3.
GV: Cars drive through flood waters swirling along road.
0.40

4.
GV: Flood water pouring across road.
0.50

5.
AERIAL VIEWS: People stand on rooftop of flooded house.
0.54

6.
GV: People being winched to safety by rescue helicopter.
1.10

7.
AERIAL VIEW: Train wreckage scattered along track.
1.15

8.
GV: Onlookers watch while others inspect train wreckage.
1.30

9.
GV: Scene of train accident. (TWO SHOTS)
1.44



Initials JS/0140


SATELLITE TELERECORDING

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: In South Africa on Saturday, at least 12 people were reported to have died as torrential rains flooded large areas around the country's administrative capital of Pretoria. The floods stranded people, washed out roads and even derailed a train.

SYNOPSIS: Up to nine and a half inches (240 millimetres) of rain fell on Pretoria turning some roads into raging torrents when nearby streams broke their banks.

A caravan park in the northern outskirts of the city was among the worst places hit. Dozens of cars and caravans were wrecked after swirling flood waters had passed through the site.

Earlier the owners of the vehicles had been forced to cling to roof tops and tress to avoid being swept away.

Despite the flooding, many people continued to use their cars. Travelling by car, however, had its dangers. In the city centre of Pretoria, two people were reported drowned when flood waters poured into their car at a subway.

With numbers of people trapped on rooftops, rescue teams found that the only way they could reach them was by helicopter.

Dozens of them were winched to safety by the helicopters which were provided by the South African airforce.

The biggest victim of the floods however, was this goods and passenger train. It was on its way between ??? and the town of Rustenburg, 60 miles (96 kilometres) away, when the rails gave way beneath it and it left the track.

Four people were killed in the derailment, and 20 injured, seven of them seriously. They were treated by doctors who used an emergency train to get to the site because it was cut off by floods.