South Africa’s state-owned port and rail operator Transnet, which operates the port of Durban, said it had suspended operations at the port of Durban on April 11 after floods damaged the road to the port, Reuters reported.

According to reports, due to the heavy rainfall in the past few days, floods occurred in Kwazulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The well-known coastal city of Durban in the province was the most affected area by the flood, and the main transportation roads in the city have been closed.

As the largest container port in South Africa, the Port of Durban has also been seriously affected. The flood washed away numerous containers and some of them were damaged. According to local media reports, someone “stealed” goods from damaged containers and warehouse equipment.

“Due to severe weather damage to some port facilities, vessel loading and unloading operations have been suspended until further notice,” Transnet said in a statement. “Our engineering team will assess the extent of damage to the affected facilities before the port is fully operational.”

Transnet also said the country’s railroads at the port of Richards Bay and parts of Kwazulu-Natal were operating at “limited capacity” due to flooding.

The local Meteorological Department expects heavy rainfall in Kwazulu-Natal province in the next few days.

In response to the sudden situation in Durban Port, Maersk issued an emergency announcement on April 12 to make relevant business adjustments.

Maersk said that due to the flooding, the road into the port was severely damaged, and all vehicles are currently unable to enter the terminal, and the Port of Durban business and warehouse operations have been suspended.