Update, 1:45pm:
Three more bodies were recovered at the collapsed construction site in George, bringing the total number of deceased persons to 12.
The George Municipality confirmed that the total estimated number of workers onsite at the time of the collapse was 81. To date, 40 people have been retrieved from the rubble, of which 12 are deceased. A total of 33 were hospitalised, of which 13 are still in hospital.
Forty-one people are still unaccounted for.
Disaster management advises the public that there are currently enough volunteers onsite with names captured on a waiting list.
‘The volunteer and donation response from the George community has been overwhelming and is commended and appreciated. We ask that the public please does not respond to any requests for volunteers on social media unless such notice is formally issued by the GRDM JOC and/or George Municipality,’ the municipality said in a Facebook post.
It added that the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has declared the incident site at Victoria Street a No-Fly Zone. The restriction is being strictly enforced and any individuals violating it will be subject to criminal prosecution.
Picture: George Municipality / Facebook
Update: 10:30am
On Friday, the George Municipality officially announced the ninth fatality following the tragic event.
According to the latest update provided by the municipality, a construction labourer who was rescued from the debris in critical condition has succumbed to their injuries.
The ongoing rescue effort has now surpassed 91 hours.
At the time of the incident, 81 workers were present on-site. Presently, 37 workers have been rescued, with nine fatalities reported. Additionally, 15 individuals remain in critical condition, six are grappling with life-threatening injuries, and seven have sustained minor injuries.
The whereabouts of 44 workers are still unknown.
Heavy-earth machinery was also deployed by the municipality to aid in the operations.
‘Big earth-moving machinery arrived last night which includes two five-ton excavators, three 20-ton excavators with hammers and buckets, and a three-cube front-end loader, as well as trucks for extraction and clearing,’ George Municipality spokesperson Chantel Edwards said.
‘The rescue operation continues to be a multi-agency approach, involving local excavation contractors and the District Roads Engineer,’ she said.
‘Despite the introduction of large machinery, rescue techniques will still be applied meticulously and sensitively by the highly skilled and experienced disaster management team.’
The municipality also advised the public to steer clear of the vicinity around the incident site on Victoria Street, as heavy vehicles will be continuously moving to assist in the rubble removal process.
A total of 3 000 cubic tonnes of concrete require removal from the site.
Executive Mayor Leon van Wyk conveyed his gratitude for the ongoing efforts of the emergency teams.
He lauded the rescue workers and all collaborating stakeholders, including organisations, the media, and the public, acknowledging their collective endeavours. Van Wyk emphasised that their dedication, combined with the utilisation of state-of-the-art equipment, has led to a rescue operation of world-class standards.
Update:
Western Cape officials confirmed on Wednesday night that the death toll from the deadly building collapse in George has risen to eight.
Rescue workers have been racing against the clock to save lives at the tragic site, where 38 people remain missing.
The contractor has now confirmed that the number of workers on site at the time of collapse was 81.
A five-story building under construction collapsed on workers in the town two days ago.
According to provincial officials, at least 14 people rescued from beneath the concrete slabs are in critical condition in hospital.
Rescue efforts have continued overnight. The emergency response team is implementing more substantive concrete breakers and additional trucks to remove building rubble from the site.
Update:
In its latest update, George Municipality confirmed that the extensive rescue operation currently underway approached 49 hours as of 2:30pm on Wednesday afternoon.
It has also been confirmed that figures remain unchanged at this point, with 39 of the initial 75 construction workers still unaccounted for at present:
- 36 patients retrieved
- 7 deaths
- 16 critical patients (red)
- 6 patients sustained life-threatening injuries (yellow)
- 7 patients sustained minor injuries (green)
Sniffer dogs and handlers have been sent by Eastern Cape SAPS to enhance the rescue operation, with Western Cape Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile and senior police management also on scene.
In an effort to assist the emergency personnel on-site, volunteers and medical professionals have been administering vitamin B complex boosters, known to support overall bodily functions under strenuous conditions.
‘In light of the exhaustive rescue operations and the high physical stress endured by the multi-disciplinary emergency personnel working tirelessly at the Victoria Street Building collapse site, volunteers have stepped in to provide essential support,’ said George Municipality.
‘Recognising the critical need for sustaining these dedicated workers’ health and energy levels, volunteers are supplying vitamin B complex boosters.’
‘The George Municipality thanks all volunteers and medical professionals for their invaluable assistance during this critical time,’ concluded the update.
George Mayor Leon van Wyk last night confirmed that the construction was overseen by Neo Trend Group, ICE Projects.
‘That site, the erf, is 1 228 square metres and consists of a basement and parking, and a total of 42 flats on four floors,’ he said.
Picture: George Municipality / Facebook
Update: 8:30am
The tally of retrieved patients had risen to 36 by 5:30am, leaving 39 people unaccounted for after a five-storey building collapsed at a construction site in George earlier this week.
This leaves 39 people unaccounted for at present.
Rescue operations at the building collapse site on Victoria Street continue with a multi-disciplinary rescue team of more than 200 emergency services. Seven patients have been declared deceased.
Seventy-five construction workers were present on the site at the time of the collapse, which occurred shortly after 2pm on Monday and the rescue operation continues more than 40 hours after the incident.
Update, 9:30pm:
Urgent efforts are underway as emergency responders race against the clock to extricate 47 individuals who remain missing after a five-story building collapsed at a construction site in George.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde reported on Tuesday that 28 individuals had been successfully removed from the site. Tragically, six of those rescued were pronounced dead.
‘There are still 47 people lying underneath layers and layers of concrete. It’s devastating to be on-site and see this. We’ve got over 100 rescue professionals. And there’s probably at least another 100 volunteers around clearing as quickly as we can. Obviously, as carefully as we can, because the whole system is unstable,’ he said.
Winde added that sniffer dogs had been brought in to assist.
‘There are three sites where they can hear people. They’ve drilled holes with sound equipment. Some of the health professionals are even telling me that some of them are on drips already. Because you can squeeze in and help to get those patients onto drips,’ he said.
In the press conference, Mayor Leon van Wyk of the George Municipality disclosed that the construction was overseen by Neo Trend Group, ICE Projects. He noted that the plans had been submitted in December 2022 and were officially endorsed by the municipality on 6 July 2023.
‘That site, the erf, is 1 228 square metres and consists of a basement and parking, and a total of 42 flats on four floors,’ he said.
‘There is also other equipment that can then identify if there is a person there, and they also use that level of communication. Now, the difficulty that you have on a site like that is that you have to move very quickly.
‘So, internationally, you talk of a period of 24, well, the first 24 hours are critical, but obviously moving to 48 hours and, ultimately, 72 hours. It is almost the ultimate maximum period that you can rescue somebody; in other words, you can take somebody out alive. Then, it becomes a recovery, most likely a recovery operation.’
Efforts for rescue are anticipated to persist throughout the evening. Mario Ferreira from Gift of the Givers affirmed the organisation’s contribution to the relief efforts.
‘We dispatched our sniffer dogs from Cape Town, who arrived here last night [Monday evening]. They’ve been in action. They’ve been very successful. They sniffed out a couple of people that were taken alive from the actual wreckage of the building,’ he said.
‘This is not a one-day sort of disaster completion thing. It’s going to last for quite a while.’
Picture: Social media
Update, 12:30pm:
One more person of the 26 previously recovered has died. In total, 27 people have been recovered from the rubble, while fatalities have increased to six. Rescue teams are still searching for 48 people.
As per the Mossel Bay Advertiser, the search continues for the remainder of people who are still trapped. Jannie du Plessis is currently at the scene:
During a question and answer session in an update provided by the Western Cape Government, George Mayor Leon van Wyk could not reveal the name of the owners of the site or the construction company. The Department of Labour has, however, started investigations into the cause of the collapse of the site.
Premier Alan Winde confirmed that the provincial government appointed independent engineers to assess the site. They are expected to arrive today.
The provincial government appointed specialised rescue technicians from Cape Town and George to assist in the rescue effort. Six specialised rescue vehicles are also on site.
Video: Jannie du Plessis / Mossel Bay Advertiser / Facebook
Update, 9am:
The number of deceased people recovered from the rubble has increased to five.
As per George Municipality, 26 patients have been recovered from the collapsed multi-storey construction site. A total of 29 people are still unaccounted for.
The collapse occurred yesterday afternoon at approximately 2:09pm. It has been confirmed that 75 construction workers were present on the site at the time of the incident.
Three teams of rescue personnel are working in three different areas within the site.
The following safety equipment is needed: safety goggles, headlamps and construction gloves.
The municipality advises the public that donations such as safety gear, drinking water, energy drinks, wine gums and food for emergency crews can be delivered to the tent site via Ivy Street at 79 Victoria Street, Delplan Consulting.
Picture: Herman Pieters, Garden Route District Municipality Communications Manager
The George Municipality confirmed that four people extracted from the rubble of the multi-storey construction site have been declared deceased as of 5:15am.
Also read: George building collapse: 2 of 22 injured workers declared deceased
According to a municipal statement, another red patient was extracted at 12:45am, bringing the total number of extracted persons to 24. Of these, four have been declared deceased.
Emergency personnel from the City of Cape Town and Breede Valley Local Municipality have arrived to support the existing emergency and disaster personnel on site. The search continues for the 51 unaccounted persons trapped.
The construction site at 75 Victoria Street collapsed yesterday afternoon at about 2:09pm. More than 111 emergency and disaster personnel are on site to locate and retrieve construction crew members who were on-site at the time of the incident.
Two sniffer dogs are currently involved in the rescue operation.
Anton Bredell, minister of local government, environmental affairs and development planning, arrived at the site at around 11pm last night. Premier Alan Winde will join him this morning.
The Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) established a joint operations centre (JOC) with multiple stakeholders, including the Western Cape Provincial Disaster Services.
More than 100 family members and friends of the construction crew are gathered at the main municipal building. They are supported by the Department of Social Services and Correctional Services’ social workers.
The construction companies are collaborating with the GRDM JOC to compile a list of individuals still being accounted for.
Victoria Street remains closed for access at the York Street intersection, as well as midway down the street. This means that the Victoria Street gate to the George Municipal building is not accessible to pedestrians or vehicles.
Any donations for the 111 emergency services on-site, including drinking water, Lucozade, wine gums, or any food, can be delivered to the tent site via Ivy Street at 79 Victoria Street, Delplan Consulting.
This site is manned by Gift of the Givers and Herman Pienaar of LoveGeorge. For enquiries, contact: Gift of the Givers: Mario Ferreira (082 490 2752) and Herman Pienaar (082 829 6428).
Also read:
Picture: George Municipality / Facebook
