Wednesday saw rescue teams employing underground cameras and sniffer dogs to locate nearly 40 construction workers still missing in the rubble, two days after the collapse of an apartment building under construction in coastal South Africa.
Seven workers have been confirmed dead, while 16 of the 29 people rescued from the debris were in critical condition in hospitals, with an additional six facing life-threatening injuries, authorities reported. They stated that 39 workers remained unaccounted for and buried in the rubble of concrete and mangled metal scaffolding.
The collapse of the unfinished five-story apartment complex on Monday in George, a city on South Africa’s south coast, prompted a desperate rescue effort, drawing disaster response teams from other towns and cities. A total of 75 construction workers were present at the building site during the collapse, according to the George municipality.
More than 200 rescue personnel continued to search for survivors, using cranes and heavy lifting equipment to lift concrete slabs while forming lines to remove smaller rubble by hand.
Some survivors trapped under the debris managed to use their cell phones to contact family members, aiding emergency responders in locating them. Cheers and applause erupted when several survivors were rescued on Tuesday night.
Colin Deiner, head of the rescue effort, described Tuesday night as “very successful,” but noted less progress on Wednesday. The operation has now transitioned into a phase where rescuers rely more on heavy equipment to access deeper areas of the collapsed structure in search of potential survivors.
The George municipality appealed for donations of water, energy drinks, and food for the exhausted rescue personnel, who had been working in shifts for over 48 hours. The rescue effort, involving emergency response teams from across the region, is expected to continue until at least Friday.
George, a city known for its scenic coastal views and golfing opportunities, is the site of multiple investigations into the cause of the building collapse, including probes by police, the provincial government, and the national department of labor.
“There will be consequences,” said Anton Bredell, the Provincial Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning.