By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The death toll in the Redcliffe Temple collapse in Verulam near Durban has risen to five. The fifth body was retrieved on Sunday.
Rescue teams have been working around the clock to recover any remaining victims.
Prem Balram from the private security company Reaction Unit South Africa said they received a call just after midday on Friday and were at the scene within 4 minutes of the structure collapsing.
Balram said he immediately knew that they would require all hands on deck. The response was overwhelming.
KZN Premier Thami Ntuli and MEC for Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs Thulasizwe Buthelezi visited the scene on Sunday.
Ntuli says rescue teams believe there may be more bodies under the rubble of the temple.
“They”ve just informed me that they’re still on the second layer from the top. It means they still have the first and the 2nd, that they’re still going to go through and they don’t know whether there are people there or whether there are no people there and we suspect that there may be more bodies.”
The collapse occurred at a four-storey extension that, according to the eThekwini Municipality, did not have approved plans and was considered illegal. The structure gave way at the River Range Ranch in Redcliffe, trapping several construction workers and Panday beneath tons of concrete and steel. The structure collapsed apparently during a ready-mix pouring operation.
According to eThekwini Municipality spokesperson Gugu Sisilana, search and rescue teams recovered one more body from the debris, confirming fears that the tragedy had claimed multiple lives.
“Emergency services remain on site, working alongside multi-disciplinary teams to intensify rescue operations. The search continues for possible further entrapments, “said Sisilana.
Sisilana confirmed that eThekwini Mayor Councillor Cyril Xaba visited the scene on Thursday night, where he met with affected families and offered his condolences.
She added that the municipality it is bolstering its response on the ground to ensure no effort is spared in the rescue mission and care for those affected.
Minister of Public Works Dean Macpherson stressed that the immediate focus remains on rescue, refusing to speculate on the cause of the collapse at this stage. The Council for the Built Environment is set to lead the official investigation once rescue operations conclude, with experts already on the ground.
Macpherson drew a sharp contrast between the construction sector and the mining industry regarding safety. “The building industry has to catch up to the safety and zero-tolerance approach to injuries and death in the mining industry. We are working in as dangerous conditions as the mining industry, and the safety, compliance, and regulatory standards don’t seem to be there,” he said.
Last year, thousands of devotees from around the world visited the Verulam temple when it opened, drawn by its unique architecture, which mirrors the cave in India where Lord Nrsimhadeva is said to have appeared.
The temple sits on the River Range Ranch in Redcliffe, a property that also includes the Vrindavan Eco Village, owned by the Vick and Helina Panday Family Trust. The Panday family previously established the Food For Love programme to provide meals to communities and organisations across the area.