The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Disaster Management Centre has confirmed that search and rescue teams have discovered the remains of four people in Ladysmith.

The search and rescue teams and the South African Police Service (SAPS) are currently in the process of identifying the bodies, together with the families of those that were reported missing.

Heavy rains on Christmas Eve resulted in the Bellspruit River - which runs under the Mbonothu Bridge - bursting its banks, causing water to overflow onto the N11 road near the Limit Hill robots, in Ladysmith Town, resulting in several people losing their lives and others missing.

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi, has extended her deepest condolences to the grieving families. Government has committed to providing support, including counselling and assistance with burial arrangements, to all affected families.

"Efforts to discover the missing people were intensified on Thursday through the deployment of additional resources from neighbouring provinces.

"The search operation continues on the ground. Updates will be promptly shared as soon as they are verified," said the provincial government in a statement.

The MEC has expressed her gratitude to the dedicated search and rescue team led by the SAPS K9 Unit, working with PSS Medical Rescue, the AL-Imdaad Foundation for Disaster, and the South African Red Cross.