A 75-person construction crew was present at the site when it collapsed; 26 of them were rescued from the rubble, five of them lost their lives, and 49 more are unaccounted for.
In the South African city of George, a multi-story building that was under construction collapsed, killing five people. Rescuers rushed to the scene to look for about fifty others who might be buried beneath the debris.
Municipal authorities said on Tuesday that twenty-six people had been recovered from the rubble; five of them had died. They also stated that 49 more people were still missing.
With a population of roughly 160,000, George is a charming seaside city situated on the popular tourist route along South Africa’s southern coast.
Around 1730 GMT on Monday, a construction crew of seventy-five individuals was present at the site when the collapse occurred, according to them.
“Three teams of rescue personnel are currently working on three different areas within the site of the collapsed building,” they stated on Tuesday.
There is still no clear explanation for why the structure, which had an underground parking garage, collapsed.
Offering his “deep condolences to the relatives and friends” of the victims, President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his sympathy to the families of the deceased and the unaccounted for.
In order to “bring closure to the community and prevent a repeat of this disaster,” he demanded that an investigation be conducted.
Rescue crews had established “communication with some of the people under the rubble,” according to Mario Ferreira, a spokesman for the nonprofit Gift of the Givers, which is providing assistance at the scene.
Interventions for rescue
The city council released photos of a leveled building site that had many emergency agencies on hand.
Atop the rubble pile, the building’s damaged roof could still be seen clearly.
Rescue efforts persisted on Monday night, with the area that had been blocked off being illuminated by powerful floodlights.
Approximately 100 employees and other emergency services were stationed at George, 400 kilometers east of Cape Town, to oversee the operations through the establishment of a coordination post.
According to emergency services, more diggers and sniffer dogs were sent from Cape Town.
According to officials, families of those stranded have been urged to meet at city hall, which is close to the construction site, so that they can receive assistance.
“Our thoughts are with the families and all those affected, who continue to wait for word of their loved ones,” Mayor Leon van Wyk stated.
The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, which also holds provincial authority over the Western Cape, is in charge of George.
SOURCE: TRTWORLD
