At least 49 people have been killed in the floods which have been swept away through the Eastern Cape province of South Africa as low temperatures, torrential rains and heavy snowfall have killed parts of the country.

Provincial premiere Oscar Mabayane said, “The numbers are increasing hours after hours. The situation is so bad on the ground.”

The recovered bodies have four children, a driver and a conductor who were in a school bus, which was taken away in flood waters as it was crossing a bridge in Mathati city on Tuesday morning.

Mabuyen said that rescue efforts were continued to find four more children that were in the vehicle that had been found on the banks of a river since then, in which no one was inside.

Earlier, an official had told private TV station Newsroom Africa that eight bodies including the bus driver were found.

Public Broadcaster SABC reported that three children were made alive on Tuesday, found clinging to trees.

It is now known that there were 13 people in the bus, 11 of them were school children.

On Wednesday morning, Mr. Mabuyne visited the scene to see the rescue efforts, and to meet the affected communities in a village Dicoligain outside Mitha.

He said that hundreds of residents were displaced, many people spend the night in the Makshift shelters.

Heavy snow, rain and thunderstorm winds About 500,000 houses have been left without electricity since Tuesday – and the state -owned power provider Eskom says efforts are being made to restore the connection.

South African President Cyril Ramfosa has expressed his condolences to the families of those who died as they “urged to showcase caution, care and cooperation as the worst effects of the winter season are effective across the country”.

Eastern Cape-Anti-Rangbhed icon Nelson Mandela’s birthplace-along with the Quajulu-Natal province, has been the most affected by the icy conditions.

Bad weather has forced some major roads to be closed in two provinces to avoid further casualties.