Image 18 Bodies
Efforts to rescue and recover continue at the site of the collapsed multi-story apartment building in George, Western Cape. Image ref: (George Municipality/ Facebook)
Identifying the victims of the tragic building collapse has proven to be a formidable task, primarily due to the undocumented status of many workers, who were predominantly foreign nationals. Teams from both provincial and national levels of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) surveyed the site on Tuesday. Mluleki Nkosi, chairperson of SALGA’s emergency service and disaster management, expressed the challenges faced in this grim process. While numerous bodies have been recovered from the rubble, identifying them remains a daunting challenge. Fear grips families, hesitant to step forward and claim their loved ones due to their undocumented status, leading to fluctuating numbers in the count of victims.
According to Nkosi, it has been reported that certain workers, suspected to be undocumented, were able to flee the site. Reviewing CCTV footage of the tragic event, they observed that some workers managed to escape the scene and did not come back.
George Municipality has provided an update, sharing that 47 victims have been reunited with their families. Out of the 18 identified bodies, 14 are male and 4 are female. Additionally, the breakdown reveals that seven are South African nationals, while one hails from Lesotho, two from Mozambique, three from Zimbabwe, and five from Malawi. In a touching moment, one grieving family conducted a traditional prayer on-site this morning, having sought permission from the municipality beforehand.
The municipality reported that ministers and deputy ministers from different government departments have visited the site, collaborating closely with the Disaster Joint Operations Center, the Western Cape provincial government, and the Garden Route District Municipality. President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to visit the site on Thursday, May 16, accompanied by a delegation of national ministers, underscoring the significance of the response effort at both local and national levels.
When the multi-story apartment building collapsed, 81 workers were on-site. So far, the rescue team has successfully recovered 62 workers. Unfortunately, 33 of them lost their lives, while 12 are undergoing treatment in the hospital. The tireless efforts of emergency and disaster personnel persist as they work relentlessly to rescue and recover the remaining 19 workers still trapped under the rubble.
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