UPDATE 09:00, 17 May
Search and recovery operations at the building collapse site in George will cease during the course of today.
While it was initially thought there were 81 construction workers on-site at the time of the collapse, only 62 have been either rescued or their bodies recovered.
This as personnel finished searching the last parts of the collapsed building this morning. The entire site has now been excavated.
The death toll stands at 33, with 29 survivors. Only 4 of the deceased still have to be formally identified.
The George building collapse disaster site is expected to be officially handed over to the authorities later today, as search and recovery operations near the end.
The Garden Route District JOC/George Municipality are finalising preparations for the Department of Labour and Employment to take over the building collapse site to continue their formal investigation.
The Head of Disaster Management in the Western Cape Colin Deiner has confirmed that search and rescue personnel have completed their search, and no further victims have been retrieved.
This means the 19 persons unaccounted for were not on site at the time of the collapse.
The rescuers were given a list of 81 people by the contractor, but it is now believed these records were inaccurate, and it has also been suggested some workers had not returned from their lunch break when the building caved in.
It is not clear where the 19 people are.
As it stands, the George Municipality has linked 47 individuals (both survivors and deceased) with their families.
Deiner says they searched through the final section of the collapsed building at 5:15 on Friday morning. He has expressed relief that no further victims were discovered.
33 people have died, while 12 are still in hospital
President Cyril Ramaphosa, who visited the scene yesterday, says there will be accountability. He says talks are underway to repatriate those victims that hail from other African countries.
Ramaphosa also promised families that government will support them.
The Western Cape Department of Social Development has indicated that a comprehensive range of services will continue to be made available to the affected families for a minimum of 6-months. Psychosocial support for all rescue and non-rescue personnel will be addressed.
All families of the affected contract workers will from 10:00am, Friday 17 May, be routed to the Department of Social Development at the York Park Building situated in York Street.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will visit the George disaster site this morning, to get a briefing from disaster authorities and to speak to the families who have lost loved ones.
The families of the victims will have access to a “comprehensive range of services” from the Western Cape Department of Social Development for at least six months.
Out of the estimated 81 people who were at the scene, 47 victims families have been traced. These include survivors and the deceased.
No bodies or survivors were found overnight on Wednesday 15 May, with the death toll as of Thursday morning still standing at 33 with 19 missing.
UPDATE 15 May, 06h00:
Forensic teams have so far positively identified 18 of the 33 victims of the George Building collapse.
Among the deceased are citizens from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Malawi and Mozambique. 19 people remain unaccounted for.
The confirmed statistics for the incident are:
- Total estimated individuals on-site when the incident occurred: 81
- Rescued and recovered: 62
- Of which deceased: 33 (27 males, 6 females)
- Currently hospitalised: 12
- Unaccounted for: 19
Among the 18 victims that have been identified, 4 are women.
Nationality breakdown of the deceased who have been positively identified:
- South Africa: 7
- Zimbabwe: 3
- Lesotho: 1
- Malawi: 5
- Mozambique: 2
The George Municipality says the Forensic Pathology Services have identified 6 of the deceased in the George Building collapse as of Monday night, 13 May.
This as the death toll reached 32, with 20 people still unaccounted for.
The Municipality says the pathologists are using fingerprints, DNA testing, and photographs of unique markings such as tattoos and clothing items to identify the deceased.
At the same time, the Municipality says it is still experiencing difficulties in obtaining accurate names of individuals missing or deceased, and have called on the families who have lost contact with their loved ones to come forward.
UPDATE 8.20 am, 13 May:
The death toll has now risen to 24 following the building collapse in George.
The confirmed statistics for the incident are:
* Total estimated individuals on-site when the incident occurred: 81
* Rescued and recovered: 53
* Of which deceased: 24
* Currently hospitalised: 13
* Unaccounted for: 28
UPDATE 6am, 13 May:
The death toll in George has risen to 21, after another body was recovered from the rubble overnight. This means an estimated 31 construction workers are still unaccounted for.
Meanwhile, the families of the construction workers have made a desperate plea to the authorities to speed up the identification of the victims.
The George Municipality has confirmed it will fast-track the process to identify victims.
”The primary focus continues to be on rescue efforts. With this in mind, we are also proactively setting up plans to expedite the identification of the deceased. With the support of Forensic Pathology Service (FPS) and South African Police Service (SAPS). We endeavour to fast-track the process. This fast-tracking process, among other benefits, helps bring closure to families.”
There is still an urgent call for professional psychosocial support practitioners proficient in Chewa, Portuguese, and Shona languages to assist survivors and their families.
Practitioners can contact Ms. Kholiswa Jobela at 078 210 5972 or Mr. Apolus Swart at 061 504 4205.
Almost a week after the building collapse in George, 32 construction workers are still unaccounted for.
The death toll was at 20 last night (Sunday, 12 May), as a number of bodies were retrieved from the rubble over the weekend. 1 worker was rescued on Saturday morning. Gabriel Guambe managed to survive under the rubble for over 116 hours.
29 others have also been rescued. The Head of Disaster Management in the Western Cape Colin Deiner says Guambe’s rescue fuelled the rescuers to carry on.
He says there has never been so many live rescues on a rescue site in South African history, and never a case where an individual managed to survive for so long.
UPDATE: 11:30
The National Police Ministry, including Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, National Commissioner, Fannie Masemola, and Deputy National Commissioner for Policing and Special Operations, Tebello Mosikili, will visit the collapsed-building site in George on Sunday.
They will be briefed on the situation, and asses the crime-related aspects of the collapsed building site.
Thereafter they will visit to the families of the affected workers at the George Town Hall.
UPDATE: 12 May, 09:00
The death toll in George has risen to 16. This, after a body was recovered in the early morning hours of Sunday. Another body was recovered later that day.
Issued by the Garden Route District JOC/George Municipality:
Rescue and recovery efforts continue into the sixth day at the site of the collapsed building at 75 Victoria Street. As of 09:00 on May 12, 2024, marking the 139th hour of operations, the confirmed statistics are as follows:
– Total individuals on-site during the incident: 81
– Rescued and recovered: 45
– Of which deceased: 16
– Currently hospitalized: 14
– Unaccounted for: 36
UPDATE: 11 May, 18:00 – Issued by the Garden Route District JOC/George Municipality –
As rescue operations enters the 124th hour at 18:00 on 11 May 2024, rescue efforts intensifies with renewed vigor at the collapsed building site, 75 Victoria Street.
This is attributed to the successful rescue of Mr Gabriel Guambe earlier today.
Mr. Guambe is currently hospitalised in a stable condition and has been in communication with his family.
SAPS Warrant Officer Willie Visser with his sniffer dog, Abbey, led the teams on site to the survivor on Saturday morning.
The much-needed lead was confirmed by another SAPS sniffer dog, Lex with handler, Warrant Officer Riaan Le Roux.
The SAPS sniffer dogs and handlers have been on scene since the tragedy occurred as part of the ongoing multidisciplinary search, rescue and recovery operation which commenced Monday afternoon.
There were scenes of jubilation at the site of the building collapse in George on Saturday mid-morning, after rescuers made contact with a construction worker, trapped under the rubble.
When the sirens rang out it was a few seconds of nervous waiting, before a rescue team member raised a thumbs up in the air and shouted: ”Alive!”
Communication was established with him, and he told rescuers he had a heavy weight on his legs.
It wasn’t long though before he was freed from the rubble, and taken to hospital. His condition is unknown.
News24 reports the survivor is a tiler, 33 year old Gabriel Guambe. He had survived for more than 116 hours.
Premier Alan Winde took the time to thank all the rescue personnel again, who kept hope alive, even as it seemed unlikely that any more survivors would be found.
The death toll is at 13, with 39 people unaccounted for. It was earlier reported that the death toll had risen to 14, but this was revised down.
UPDATE: 10 May, 3pm – The death toll following the apartment block collapse on Monday in George has risen to 12, after 3 bodies were recovered on Friday morning.
A multi-agency command is using demolition equipment to lift the concrete slabs currently obstructing access to the lower floors of the building site.
The meticulous and skilled rescue response to date, has allowed for the recovery of 40 persons, with 41 workers unaccounted for.
During a briefing earlier today it was revealed that the contractor could not establish that all 81 people were on site at the time of the collapse, as it was just after lunch.
Meanwhile, the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) earlier declared the incident site at Victoria Street a No-Fly Zone, after a drone was detected overhead.
UPDATE: 10 May, 7am – The official death toll in George has risen to 9, This after a critical patient died in hospital overnight.
No additional victims or survivors have been retrieved from the site.
44 people remain unaccounted for.
Big earth-moving machinery arrived last night which includes two five (5) ton excavators, three (3) 20-ton excavators with hammers and buckets, and a three (3) cube front-end loader, as well as trucks for extraction and clearing.
The rescue operation continues to be a multi-agency approach, involving local excavation contractors and the District Roads Engineer.
As the search for victims in George enters its 5th day on Friday 10 May, hope is fading that any further survivors will be found in the rubble.
The last time survivors were pulled from the rubble was Tuesday night.
The death toll, which currently stands at 8 stands, is expected to rise significantly, as 44 people are still unaccounted for.
The Minister of Labor Thulas Nxesi, who visited the area yesterday, has confirmed that the site in Victoria street is now a crime scene.
Western Cape Disaster Risk Management says it’s continuing with rescue mode.
Department head, Colin Diener, says it managed to access some openings for rescue to continue.
Teams were previously racing against a 72-hour clock, thereafter they would have switched to recovery mode.
The numbers have remained unchanged since earlier today, 44 people are still unaccounted for.
It has been revealed that there were in fact 81 construction workers on site during the collapse of the apartment block in George and not 75, as previously reported.
The Garden Route District Joint Operational Centre says this follows intensive discussions and scrutinization of the safety records with the responsible contractors.
That means 44 people are unaccounted for. Out of the 37 people retrieved, 8 have died.
The death toll in George, following the devastating building collapse has risen to 8, as of 9pm on Wednesday 8 May.
The rescue efforts were ongoing overnight, and the emergency response team implemented more substantive concrete breakers and additional trucks to remove building rubble from the site to free the remaining entrapped patients.
- 37 patients retrieved.
- 8 are blue (Deceased).
- 16 red patients (Critical).
- 6 yellow patients (Life-threatening injuries).
- 7 green (minor injuries).
A total of 38 of the initial 75 workers on site remain unaccounted for.
Western Cape Disaster Risk Management says in light of challenges at the site of the collapsed structure in George, it will need to shift to the use of more heavy-duty equipment.
It says it has been a slow process to get to the trapped workers because of the more than 3000 tons of concrete they’re trying to break through.
Head of department, Colin Diener, told Newzroom Afrika they remain in rescue mode – with 39 construction workers still trapped under the surface.
“We are in a phase now where we are moving from rescue equipment to demolition equipment. Doesn’t we moving from rescue to recovery, but we have to change the equipment because of the condition of the building. It’s going to be slow, and very careful, job that we’re going to be doing, so it’s going to take many hours.”
UPDATE: 8 May, 3pm – The George Municipality says figures remain unchanged at this point, 3:00 pm 8 May.
- 36 patients retrieved.
- 7 are blue (Deceased).
- 16 are red patients (Critical).
- 6 are yellow patients (Life-threatening injuries).
- 7 are green (minor injuries).
A total of 39 of the initial 75 workers on site remain unaccounted for at present.
The rescue operation is approaching 49 hours as of 14:30 this afternoon, 8 May.
Support for Emergency Personnel at Victoria Street Building Collapse Site
In light of the exhaustive rescue operations and the high physical stress endured by the multi-disciplinary emergency personnel working tirelessly at the Victoria Street Building collapse site, volunteers have stepped in to provide essential support.
Recognising the critical need for sustaining these dedicated workers’ health and energy levels, volunteers are supplying vitamin B complex boosters.
These supplements play a vital role in releasing energy through metabolism and supporting overall bodily functions under strenuous conditions.
The George Municipality thanks all volunteers and medical professionals for their invaluable assistance during this critical time.
George Municipality confirms that thirty-six (36) patients have been retrieved from the collapsed building as at 09:00 Wednesday 8 May.
Of the 36 retrieved, 7 are blue (declared deceased), 16 are red patients (critical); 6 are yellow patients (Life-threatening injuries) and 7 are green (minor injuries).
A total of 39 of the initial 75 workers on site remain unaccounted for at present.
Rescue operations continue at the building collapse site on Victoria Street today with a multi-disciplinary rescue team of more than 200 emergency services available.
The rescue operation is now approaching 43 hours as of 09:00 this morning 8 May.
UPDATE: 8 May, 6am – Search and rescue personnel managed to pull three construction workers alive from the rubble of a collapsed building in George overnight.
36 construction workers have now been pulled from the rubble since Monday afternoon, with an additional death recorded overnight. Out of the 36 retrieved, 7 deaths have been confirmed.
29 people are in hospital, with 16 critical.
There are still 39 people unaccounted for. More than 200 rescue officials continue their search.
Search and rescue personnel has retrieved 34 construction workers from the rubble of a collapsed residential building in George, with 7 fatalities recorded.
This leaves 41 persons unaccounted for.Rescue operations at the building collapse site continue with a multi-disciplinary rescue team of more than 200 emergency services.
UPDATE 15:09 – There are still 47 people trapped under the collapsed building in George. 28 people have been rescued, and six people have died.
Development Planning MEC, Anton Bredell, says there are three points of contact on the site with those trapped.
Meanwhile, investigators says it is too early to comment on the probe into the incident.
UPDATE 7 May, 11:45 – The death told in the George building collapse has risen to six. The municipality says 27 people have since been removed from the rubble.
Rescue teams are still searching for 48 others.
Premier Alan Winde has arrived in George to assess the situation as rescue operations continue in George.
Five construction workers have died, and 49 are still trapped beneath the rubble. 21 people are in hospital.
There were 75 construction workers on the site before the 5 storey building folded yesterday afternoon.
It’s a race against time to extricate survivors of the deadly multi-storey building collapse in George.
The death toll has now risen to 5, with dozens of construction workers still trapped beneath the rubble.
A total of 75 construction workers were on site in Victoria street yesterday afternoon when disaster struck, with 49 still trapped.
UPDATE: 7 May, 5.15am – The George Municipality has confirmed that four people have now died following a building collapse in Victoria street yesterday afternoon.
24 construction workers have been removed from the rubble, leaving fifty-one 51 persons unaccounted for.
10 patients are in a critical condition in hospital.
UPDATE: 7 May, 3am –
UPDATE: 6 May, 9pm –
Following the collapse of a multi-storey building under construction in Victoria Street this afternoon, multiple Disaster Service personnel including Saps Search and Rescue teams with sniffer dogs are currently involved in a rescue operation to retrieve 53 trapped construction workers.
The collapse occurred at 14:09 this afternoon with the first emergency call coming in at 14:14.
Seventy-five (75) members of construction crew have been confirmed on site at the time of the incident. Twenty-two (22) patients have been retrieved and sent to hospitals or medical centres in George. Sadly two (2) of the twenty-two (22) patients have been declared deceased.
Emergency personnel on their way from the City of Cape Town and Worcester Disaster Services as well as the Western Cape Provincial Disaster Services are expected to be on site before 12pm tonight. At present over 100 emergency and other personnel are on site.
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 by Department of Social Services and Correctional Services Social Workers.
Executive Mayor Leon Van Wyk expressed his sincere condolences on behalf of George Council and the municipal administration to the family and colleagues of the deceased.
“Our thoughts are with the families and all those affected who continue to wait on word of their loved one’s, “ said Ald Van Wyk.
Note: Should any member of the public wish to provide drinking water, lucozade, wine gums, or any food for the emergency services while they are on site – kindly deliver to the tent site via Ivy Street at 79 Victoria St, Delplan Consulting which is being manned by Gift of the Givers and Herman Pienaar of LoveGeorge.
For enquiries to give please contact: Gift of the Givers: Mario Ferreira (082 490 2752) and Herman Pienaar (082 829 6428)
6 May, 6pm:
Rescue efforts are still underway following the collapse of a multi-storey building under construction in Victoria Street in George this afternoon.
Disaster Service teams from George and Garden Route District Municipality are currently involved in the rescue operation. The SAPS are also on site.
53 Emergency personnel are on their way from the City of Cape Town and Worcester Disaster Services as well as Colin Deiner, Western Cape Provincial Disaster Services will be on site as soon as is possible to assist.
The collapse occurred just after 2pm today, 6 May with a construction crew of approximately 70 on site.
At about 6pm, the George Municipality confirmed that 22 patients have been retrieved and sent to hospitals throughout the province. Currently the rescue operation remains underway with over 80 rescue personnel on site.
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.
