Five killed and dozens trapped as under-construction building collapses in South Africa

A total of 26 workers who were on the site of the unfinished building when it collapsed have been removed from rubble but another 49 are unaccounted for, according to a statement from the municipality of George, a coastal city east of Cape Town, reported by Reuters.

“Three teams of rescue personnel are currently working on three different areas within the site of the collapsed building,” the statement said.

“We are focusing on the areas... where we have actually been hearing people,” Colin Deiner, chief of disaster management for the Western Cape province, told reporters at the scene.

A rescue worker removes rubble from the site where construction workers are trapped under a building that collapsed in George, South Africa, 7 May 2024. (Image: Reuters/Esa Alexander)

A drone view of the site showed rescue workers removing debris in a bid to reach those still under the rubble.

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa offered his condolences to the families of the deceased and called for an investigation.

“Investigations into the cause of the incident must aim to bring closure to the community and prevent a repeat of this disaster,” Ramaphosa’s office said in a statement.