Rescue teams feverishly search for trapped survivors; 75 construction workers were on site during Monday’s collapse.
At least five people have died and around 50 remain trapped after a building collapsed in South Africa.
Rescuers said on Tuesday they had contacted survivors buried under the rubble after working overnight at the site in the coastal town of George in South Africa’s Western Cape province. The five-story building, which was under construction, collapsed on Monday afternoon. No cause has been given yet.
Twenty-six of the 75 construction workers who were on site at the time of the collapse were pulled from the rubble on Tuesday morning. Five were declared dead; the rest were transported to the hospital.
Of the 49 still missing, rescue teams said they had contacted 11 people.
“Four of them are trapped in a basement,” Colin Deiner, chief director of disaster management, said at a news conference, adding that there is a possibility that more people could be alive.
The priority is to evacuate everyone still trapped, Deiner said, adding that this could take most of the day. Rescue teams will then begin the process of lifting the different 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 reinforcement.”
George Municipality confirms that as of 9am this morning, May 7th, a total of five (5) patients have been declared deceased.
– George Municipality (@george_mun) May 7, 2024
It is still unclear why the building, located near the city center, suddenly collapsed. Police have opened a case and authorities are investigating.
Footage from nearby security cameras showed that the concrete structure and metal scaffolding collapsed at 2:09 pm local time (12:09 pm GMT) on Monday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday sent condolences to the families of those affected and called on investigators to work quickly to rescue survivors.
“Investigations into the cause of the incident must aim to bring closure to the community and prevent a repeat of this disaster,” the statement read.
At least 11 of the injured were in “red” condition, authorities said, indicating that “emergency” care was needed for critical injuries under South Africa’s triage procedures.
Three people were classified as needing “yellow” or “urgent” care, while another 12 were in less critical “green” and “blue” conditions.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
