Parts of South Africa were lashed by heavy rain and snow since the weekend, in a severe winter cold front that disrupted transport and power networks as well as causing intense flooding. The death toll stood at 49 on Wednesday.

The death toll in floods in one of South Africa’s poorest provinces rose to 57 on Thursday as a top official said rescue attempts had been “paralyzed” by a lack of resources. Rescue teams are still working through debris and floodwater to find missing people after heavy rain caused a river to burst its banks in the predawn hours of Tuesday.