George Building Collapse: Search and Rescue Operations Concluded

Picture Courtesy: (George Municipality/ Facebook) Rescue and recovery efforts have been completed and the site has been handed over to the SAPS for its official inquiry.

(The Post News)- The search and rescue team has concluded operations at the multi-story apartment building that collapsed while under construction on the afternoon of May 6 at Victoria Street in George, Western Cape.

After working on the site of the collapsed building for over a week, emergency services and disaster management teams have vacated the site, which is now regarded as a crime scene and has been handed over to the South African Police Service (SAPS) for its official inquiry.

Upon concluding its inquiry, SAPS will then hand over the case to the Employment and Labour Department so it can also launch its official investigation. According to George Municipality, the crucial steps carried out in the first 48 hours after the building collapsed were primarily responsible for the success of the rescue efforts.

The municipality said that during this period, rescuers executed their duties with exceptional accuracy, making sure that the casualties were extracted safely from the rubble. Regarding the fluctuation in numbers, the municipality mentioned that the number of workers present on site during the collapse amounted to approximately 81 based on the information provided by the contractors, the police, and statements made by witnesses.

Furthermore, the numbers fluctuated as the tragedy unfolded; however, the municipality said that it can formally confirm that upon the conclusion of rescue and recovery operations, only 62 workers were accounted for.

To clarify the confusion over the difference in numbers, the municipality explained that the reasons for this could be that some names on the list of contractors were duplicated, some people listed on the contractor’s list were off duty on the day of the incident, and it could also be that the CCTV footage showed that some workers managed to leave the scene before emergency services arrived and they have never disclosed their location.

The municipality confirmed that 62 individuals were rescued and recovered, and of those 62, 33 were pronounced dead. Of the 33 fatalities, two are yet to be identified, and while 19 have been discharged from the hospital, 10 remain hospitalized.

Furthermore, of the workers, 15 were citizens of South Africa, 19 of Mozambique, 13 of Malawi, 7 of Zimbabwe, and 5 of Lesotho. One was a permanent residency holder, while the nationality of the other two is still unknown. The municipality reported that the Zimbabwe, Malawi, Lesotho, and Mozambique Consulates are handling the repatriation.