Johannesburg, May 14 (IANS): A total of 447 people have lost their lives as a result of the floods in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province, while 89 others are still missing, the police said.

National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola made the disclosure in Durban during a send-off of rescue teams that were looking for the victims of floods, reports Xinhua news agency.

It has been a month since rescue teams from various parts of the country converged in KwaZulu-Natal to intervene after the floods hit the region.

"The death toll is now standing at 447, with 89 persons reportedly still missing. To date, 854 call-outs and scenes have been attended to which led to the rescue of 165 victims that were found alive.

"Eighty-seven of the inaccessible deceased victim's bodies were recovered by the rescue teams in the Greater Ethekwini area," said Masemola, adding the rescue teams are going back to their stations.

The teams comprised police from various sections like diving teams with various vessels, helicopters and planes.

They worked with disaster management teams and emergency services.