As rescue efforts continue into their second week, 21 people have been confirmed dead after a building collapsed in George.
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Rescue and recovery efforts continue following the incident at 75 Victoria Street, where a partially constructed building collapsed. Rescue workers and other players have been on the scene for 160 hours.
As of 6am, 50 of the estimated 81 missing people had been rescued or recovered. There were 21 casualties, with 15 people currently recovering in the hospital. In addition, 31 victims remained unaccounted for.
‘The primary focus continues to be on rescue efforts,’ read a joint media statement from the Garden Route District JOC and George Municipality. ‘With this in mind, we are also proactively setting up plans to expedite the identification of the deceased. With the support of Forensic Pathology Service (FPS) and South African Police Service (SAPS). We endeavour to fast-track the process. This fast-tracking process, among other benefits, helps bring closure to families.’
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‘We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) teams at the site for keeping rescue workers safe. To date there have been no serious incidents involving rescue workers or volunteers. Each participating company is tasked with assigning OHS officers to ensure safety at the scene.’
Authorities added that there is still an urgent call for professional psychosocial support practitioners proficient in Chewa, Portuguese and Shona languages to assist survivors and their families.
‘Several practitioners have already offered there services and more are welcomed to contact Kholiswa Jobela at 078 210 5972 or Apolus Swart at 061 504 4205.’
The national minister for public works and infrastructure, Sihle Zikalala, will be on site today at 12:30pm and the national deputy minister of international relations and cooperation, Alvin Botes, will be on site at 3pm.
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Picture: George Municipality/ Facebook
