Sawt Falasteen - South Africa's Kruger park suffers 'devastating' damage from floods

Torrential rains and floods last week forced the world-famous safari destination, which is nearly the size of Wales, to halt day visits and airlift guests and staff to safety as swollen rivers swallowed large stretches of land.

While there had been no loss of life within the park, parts of it were still underwater a week later and 15 camps remained closed, SANParks CEO Hapiloe Sello told reporters.

More than 500 members of staff were "stuck" at camps within the reserve, waiting for the water to recede so they could leave, she told reporters.

"In the Kruger National Park alone, the damage to critical infrastructure is so widespread that SANParks' earliest estimates are that the damage will be in excess of half a billion rands ($30.6 million)," environment minister Willie Aucamp said at a media briefing.

SANParks is a public body that manages South Africa's 21 national parks.

Staff and tourist accommodation has been destroyed and there was "devastating" damage to bridges, roads and water and electrical infrastructure, he said.

The loss of tourism revenue from the flagship park could put "the sustainability of the entire network of parks at risk" because of the impact on SANParks' operating budget.

Kruger's fauna -- including the famed Big Five grouping of elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo -- had largely escaped the flooding because animals had sensed the danger and moved to higher lying areas.

"We have not seen one single carcass of any animal," Aucamp said.

The government has set up a fund to ensure the recovery of the site, which is in a region increasingly sensitive to climate change and natural disasters, he said, calling for local and international donations.

Dozens of people lost their lives and hundreds of thousands were displaced in northeastern South Africa and neighbouring Mozambique in the flooding, caused by weeks of intense storms and rains.

I.Yassin--SF-PST