At Least Seven Workers Confirmed Dead After the Building Collapsed in George

Picture courtesy: (PJ Smith Facebook shared image) Rescuers are seen at the collapsed building in search of at least 39 people who are still missing.

(The Post News)– Rescuers search for survivors after a residential building under construction collapsed in George on Monday, killing seven people and trapping 39 others. Colin Deiner, chief director for disaster management, said they were in contact with 11 workers yesterday, four of whom are trapped in a basement. About 75 workers are believed to have been on-site at the time of the collapse.

On Tuesday, the officials in the Western Cape town of George said 26 people were rescued from the ruins and taken to safety. As of today, the number of rescued survivors has risen to 36. The cause of the collapsed building is under investigation. Video footage taken nearby showed a huge plume of dust flying up as the building collapsed.
Rescue workers at the scene took turns manually removing concrete blocks and debris from a small area. The team leader occasionally raised his fist and called for silence.

Everyone stopped and watched, Everyone stopped and watched, hoping someone would be found. Some of them were false alarms, and the noise increased again. The majority of workers at the scene are still missing, and the effort to rescue survivors has been long and time-consuming. Two people rescued from the rubble died from their injuries. Three more deaths were later reported. The area is closed to the public. But there were still people who stood on the side-lines in shock and disbelief. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said his thoughts were with the families of those killed in the debris, who are still trapped in the debris, and called for an investigation to silence the community and prevent this disaster from happening again.

Throughout the night, more than 100 rescue workers and sniffer dogs searched for people trapped in order to support the work. Photos of the area currently show a fully cleared construction site, with some building roofs lying on top of the rubble. “I saw a man working, and then I saw the whole building collapse with a bang. I am also traumatized, local councillor Teresa Jay was quoted by Reuters news agency.

The missing worker’s relatives are gathered at nearby government offices, waiting for the news. Deiner said the search-rescue operation would likely take three days. The authorities have begun an investigation into the cause of the tragedy, and a criminal case has been opened to obtain information on why the building collapsed.