No casualties after flooding hits South Africa's Kruger National Park

Authorities say there have been no casualties in South Africa's Kruger National Park despite the recent spate of flooding which has hit the region, with accurate forecasting and effective preventative measures also ensuring no animals have come to harm.

South Africa's National Disaster Management Center declared a national disaster on Sunday as heavy rains and flooding continued to batter northern parts of the country.

According to local media reports, continuous rainfall since late December has caused severe flooding in the northeastern Limpopo Province, where at least 17 people, including two children, have died.

The flooding has forced the partial closure of the Kruger National Park, one of Africa's largest wildlife reserves, with more than 600 visitors being evacuated after rising waters inundated access roads and campsites.

Willie Aucamp, South Africa's Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, said that the precautionary measures taken at the site ensured there were no reports of any casualties or any injuries around the park.

He added that the wider economic losses caused by the floods are still being assessed but said the national park has announced the establishment of a relief fund for disaster reconstruction and emergency expenditures.

South African officials have stated that the scope and intensity of this round of floods are similar to the historic flooding of the year 2000, which caused widespread damage and also hit neighboring Mozambique hard.

However, staff at the Kruger National Park say that improved technology and management capabilities has strengthened the park's flood response mechanisms compared to the past, with drones, satellite imagery, and real-time monitoring systems enabling them to assess risks earlier and take action in advance.

"The animals had moved days before the rain even started. So all our animals are fine. They're intact. We have not seen any carcass of animals that are dead. So people must know that the animals are fine and they're doing very well," said Reynold Thakhuli, the park's general manger of public relations, media and stakeholder relations.

Staff say that these technologies are also being used to good effect in anti-poaching operations and play a particularly important role in the protection of endangered species such as rhinos.

No casualties after flooding hits South Africa's Kruger National Park

At least 40 people were confirmed dead, while dozens of others remained hospitalized after two high-speed trains collided near the city of Cordoba in southern Spain on Sunday.

The accident occurred at around 19:45 local time (1845 GMT) when a train carrying 317 passengers on the Malaga-Madrid route derailed for reasons still unknown near Amaduz, about 20 km from Cordoba, Spanish authorities said.

The derailed train struck another high-speed train traveling on an adjacent track from Madrid to Huelva, causing the latter to derail.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday announced three days of official mourning for the train accident.

Sanchez canceled his scheduled agenda and traveled to the crash site, where he addressed the media and announced that the national mourning period would begin at midnight on Monday. He pledged a full investigation into the cause of the accident, describing it as a "painful day" for the country.

Juanma Moreno, president of the Andalusian regional government, said the impact of the derailment was "extremely violent," noting that some bodies had been found hundreds of meters from the crash site, suggesting that passengers had been thrown from the train.

He warned that more victims could be discovered as rescue operations continue.

Spain's Transport Minister Oscar Puente said earlier that it was "strange" for such an accident to occur on a straight section of track that had only been laid in May 2025. He added that the Malaga-Madrid service, operated by private company Iryo, was using relatively new rolling stock built in 2022.

Alvaro Fernandez Heredia, president of Spain's state-owned rail operator Renfe, told Spanish state radio network RNE that human error had "been practically ruled out," suggesting the cause was more likely related to Iryo's rolling stock or an infrastructure failure.

Spanish media also reported that in August 2025, the national train drivers' union had raised concerns with infrastructure operator ADIF over defects on the same section of track, including surface damage, unevenness and problems with overhead power lines.

40 confirmed dead after high-speed train collision in Spain