Umzumbe house fire death toll increases
The death toll of a family from Umzumbe that lost its members in a house fire has risen to seven.
Two additional relatives of the Mthembu family, 31-year-old Thobeka and seven-year-old Ayabonga, died in hospital on Monday.
Initially five relatives, mother Bongekile Mthembu and her four children - the youngest being two-week-old baby Zamokuhle - met their gruesome deaths on Saturday night when their family home in the KwaNhlalwane area caught fire.
Neighbours were able to rescue four people who were treated for smoke inhalation and burn wounds at a local clinic.
Two-year-old Onge died later in hospital on Sunday afternoon.
READ: Family killed in St Faith house fire
The cause of the fire is unclear at this stage.
KZN Social Development spokesperson Mhlabunzima Memela has praised the family's neighbours for risking their lives as they tried to help the victims.
"At this stage, no one has indicated what caused that devastating fire, but the neighbours have described that incident as a very traumatic experience and some of them indicating that they felt helpless because they were unable to rescue all the family members.
"It's a tragedy. The MEC Nonhlanhla Khoza has sent a team of social workers to the family to provide psycho-social support and to psycho-social support to the community that played a critical role of rescuing other family members."
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