The Kruger National Park has reopened its gates after severe flooding damaged roads, cutting off dozens of tourists, officials said on Friday.

"Everything is back to normal now, all the gates have been opened. We are receiving visitors again," park spokesman William Mabasa said.

Heavy rains this week pounded the northern part of South Africa for days, forcing park officials to evacuate 60 visitors who were stranded on safari drives.

"The mop-up operation is still continuing, some roads were temporarily fixed yesterday," said Mabasa.

The Kruger park, which is about the size of the Netherlands, is the country's premier safari destination and attracts 1.3 million visitors every year from all over the world.

Mabasa said no animals were affected by the flooding.

No deaths or serious injuries were reported, though six foreign tourists --four Italian and two British - were washed away in their car and had to be taken to park doctors for treatment, he said.

In neighbouring Mozambique, five people died and about 4000 homes were flooded as the storm swept across the region.