A girl carries an empty water bottle through a flooded street in Hamanskraal, Pretoria, South Africa, May 26, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

JOHANNESBURG - The number of people killed in recent flash floods in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, has risen to 22, with three more still missing, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs said Saturday.

The heavy rains on Dec. 24 resulted in Bellspruit River bursting its banks, causing water to overflow onto the N11 road in Ladysmith Town, KwaZulu-Natal Province. Several vehicles traveling along the N11 and households located nearby were swept away.

The South African Weather Service has warned that sporadic showers and thundershowers are expected in KwaZulu-Natal province Sunday

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"KwaZulu-Natal Province premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube has examined the damage caused by flash floods, which have tragically claimed 22 lives as of Saturday, with others still unaccounted for," the department said in a statement.

Communities are urged to report missing persons, especially those who disappeared on Christmas Eve, according to the statement.

The South African Weather Service has warned that sporadic showers and thundershowers are expected in KwaZulu-Natal province Sunday.

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The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs warned residents that there are still likely to be floods since the ground is still saturated due to the past rains.