By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Search and rescue teams retrieved the body of one person from a collapsed building site in George on Monday, while as many as 22 people who were injured were taken to various hospitals in the Western Cape.
Police have confirmed that one person has died from the building collapse in George.
The building collapsed just after 2 p.m. in the city of George, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of Cape Town.
Authorities estimate as many as 48 workers remain trapped based on a count of workers at the site, George Municipality spokesperson Chantel Edwards-Klose said. A total of 70 people were believed to be working on the new apartment building when it collapsed, but that was an early estimate, Edwards-Klose said.
Rescue efforts were ongoing, with the George municipality saying 80 rescue personnel were on the scene and an additional 53 on their way from nearby cities. The building that collapsed was located next to the municipal offices, it said.
The provincial Western Cape government said it was closely monitoring the situation and had sent resources to assist with the emergency response.
“All the necessary support has been offered to emergency personnel to expedite their response. At the moment, officials are focused on saving lives. This is our top priority at this stage,” Western Cape Premier Alan Winde, said in a statement.
The national government was being briefed, Winde said.
Fullview has learnt that family and friends of the construction workers involved in the incident are being given space to gather at the foyer of the main municipal building and will be assisted.
Gift of the Givers’ representative in the Southern Cape Mario Ferreira said, the mood at the scene was “very sombre”. There had been some communication between rescue officials and those still trapped. The humanitarian organisations’ sniffer dogs were headed to the scene to help with operations.
George, which has a population of about 160,000, lies on the tourist trail along the nation’s southern coastline.
The town hall is run by the Democratic Alliance (DA), the leading opposition party which also controls the Western Cape province.