By Own Correspondent| Police and officials here have begun looking for alternative accomodation to temporarily house foreign nationals displaced during a “xenophobic attack” at a Durban informal settlement.

Fifty people including five babies fled to the Sydenham police station when their unemployed neighbours in the Burnwood informal settlement kicked down their doors at 2am.

By midday, the number had swelled to more than 105 people reported a local South African publication.

While community members rallied around the group to provide meals, police and city officials scrambled to find shelter for the evening for the group.

“We are looking for a council-run hall so they have somewhere to stay tonight. We are confident that we will find something,” said Sydenham community policing forum spokesperson Satish Dhupelia.

Stanley Chilembu from Malawi told TimesLIVE that the displaced group was “left with nothing”.