SIX people were declared dead after a building collapsed in the George Municipality in the Western Cape on Monday, 6 May.
According to the municipality, 75 construction workers were at the scene when the building collapsed.
According to the latest update issued by the municipality mid-morning on Tuesday, 7 May, only 27 of the missing workers have been accounted for.
They were removed from a heap of rubble, with 48 still missing. Six of those found have been declared dead.
A total of 6 people have been killed, with 27 people removed from rubble and 48 people unaccounted for after a multi-story construction building collapsed yesterday in George, Western Cape, South Africa ????
— DISASTER TRACKER (@DisasterTrackHQ) May 7, 2024
?? 6 May 2024 ??#georgebuildingcollapse #George #SouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/2jXRETAQJO
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Jean-Pierre Smith, the MMC for Safety and Security, said they had dispatched rescue teams and specialised trucks to George to assist with the search.
“It’s a race against time. So far, Cape Town’s firefighters managed to locate and free eight persons from beneath the rubble. Sadly, four of those people had already died,” said Smith.
Southern Cape police spokesman Sergeant Christopher Spies confirmed developments.
“Reports from the scene reveal that 27 victims were retrieved. A total of six victims sustained multiple injuries and were declared dead by medical personnel. All the other victims were taken to nearby medical facilities for medical care.
"Meanwhile, SAPS K9 Search and Rescue team and Western Cape Policing and Diving services members from Cape Town joined various police units already deployed to assist with the search-and-rescue operation.
George police opened an inquest docket for further police investigation,” said Spies.
