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Rescue Efforts Intensify After Fatal Building Collapse in South Africa

Written by Jerry Alomatu on May 7, 2024

News Views: 288

Rescue efforts intensified as responders established contact with 11 individuals trapped under the debris of a collapsed building in George, South Africa, nearly 24 hours after the tragic incident.

Twenty-seven people have been rescued from the wreckage of the five-storey building, which caved in during construction on Monday, according to municipal authorities. Unfortunately, the collapse claimed the lives of six individuals.

Colin Deiner, head of rescue operations, confirmed the communication with 11 individuals still trapped under the rubble during a news conference in Cape Town, emphasizing the primary goal of extracting everyone safely.

The rescue strategy involves a process called delayering, which entails lifting different floors off each other to access the trapped individuals. However, removing the concrete holding the workers presents a significant challenge.

Provincial premier Alan Winde announced an increase in the death toll from five to six during the same news conference, shedding light on the severity of the incident.

At the time of the collapse around 2:00 pm local time on Monday, 75 construction workers were present at the site, authorities revealed. Rescue teams are currently deployed to three different areas within the collapsed building site.

The cause of the building’s collapse, which included an underground parking garage, remains unknown. Efforts are underway to compile a list of those still unaccounted for, with President Cyril Ramaphosa expressing condolences to the victims’ families and calling for a thorough investigation to prevent future disasters.

George, a picturesque coastal city along South Africa’s southern coastline, is the site of the tragedy. Emergency services, including diggers and sniffer dogs dispatched from Cape Town, continue to work tirelessly to rescue those trapped.

While officials attend to affected families at the city hall near the construction site, authorities caution the public to avoid the dangerous area. Mayor Leon van Wyk assured that every effort would be made to uncover the cause of the accident.