By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The death toll in the George building collapse in the Western Cape has risen to 34 after another person succumbed to injuries in hospital.
Garden Route District Municipality Disaster Manager, Gerhard Otto, confirmed the passing of the worker.
The rescue operation to find missing construction workers trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building ended on Friday after nearly two weeks.
According to the latest update issued by George Municipality on Friday, 62 people were on the building site when the building collapse occurred; 34 people were successfully rescued, 10 were still in hospital and 19 people have either been discharged or received medical treatment on site.
In a joint media statement released on Friday, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said the disaster will be remembered for the immense and tragic loss of life, but also for the incredibly brave and selfless work carried out by the more than 1 000 rescue, support, and volunteer workers who were involved since the incident occurred on 6 May 2024.
“The rescue operation saw more than 6 000 tons of rubble being carefully removed while rescue workers searched for survivors. This has been an exceptionally difficult time for us all. But through it all, our disaster management workers and volunteers persevered with the sole aim of saving the lives of as many people as possible,”Winde said.
There were several revisions to the number of people who were reported to be on site when the collapse happened and during the rescue operation.
The municipality said based on information received from the contractor on site, SAPS, and other emerging external sources (witness statements), the estimated number of individuals on site during the incident amounted to approximately 81.
Rescue personnel had to work under extremely difficult conditions, with the information provided to them at the time based on information received from the contractor on site, the South African Police Service, and other emerging external sources.
The municipality said the scene has now been classified as a crime scene and has officially been handed over for a formal investigation by the South African Police Service (SAPS).
Thereafter it will be handed over to the Department of Labour and Employment for their formal investigation to be conducted.