Rescuers are frantically searching for trapped survivors; 75 construction workers were on site when the collapse occurred on Monday.
At least five people have died and around 50 others are still trapped after a building collapsed in South Africa.
Rescue teams said on Tuesday they had contacted survivors buried under the rubble after working overnight at the construction site in the coastal town of George in South Africa’s Western Cape province. The five-story building under construction collapsed on Monday afternoon. No reason has been given yet.
By Tuesday morning, 26 of the 75 construction workers who were on site at the time of the collapse had been rescued from the rubble. Five were pronounced dead; The rest were transported to the hospital.
Of the 49 people still missing, rescuers said they had contacted 11 people.
“Four of them are trapped in a basement,” Chief Director of Emergency Management Colin Deiner said at a news conference, adding that there was a possibility that more were alive.
The priority is to get everyone still held captive out, Deiner said, adding that this could take much of the day. The rescuers then begin lifting the various floors.
“It’s a very difficult operation,” he said. “So many people trapped in a building like this is like looking for a needle in a haystack. You literally have to break through the concrete and cut through the rebar.”
The Parish of George confirms that a total of five (5) patients have been declared deceased as of 9 a.m. this morning, May 7th.https://t.co/j8PPwVde0U
– Parish George (@george_mun) May 7, 2024
It is still unclear why the building near the city center suddenly collapsed. The police have opened a case and the authorities are investigating.
Close-up surveillance camera footage showed the concrete structure and metal scaffolding collapsed at 2:09 p.m. local time (12:09 GMT) on Monday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday expressed his condolences to the families of those affected and urged investigators to work quickly to rescue survivors.
“Investigations into the cause of the incident must aim to bring the community to a standstill and prevent a repeat of this disaster,” the statement said.
At least 11 of the injured were in a “red” condition, authorities said, indicating that “emergency care” was required for serious injuries as part of South Africa’s triage procedures.
Three people were classified as requiring “yellow” or “urgent” care, while 12 others were in a less critical “green” and “blue” condition.