DEVELOPING | George building collapse: 33 dead, search operation completed

Surviving the collapse: 'I will never, ever go back to a construction site,' vows George plasterer

Armando Xhosa was trapped under two slabs of concrete for around 20 hours after the collapse of the building in George. He is one of the 29 people who survived the incident.

Thirty-three others died - and 19 remain unaccounted for. Xhosa, from Mozambique, worked as a plasterer at the site. He had been tasked with plastering the floor and was busy working on the third floor just after 14:00 on Monday, 6 May, when the building collapsed.

"I had just answered my phone, and I didn't see what happened. Suddenly, the slabs of concrete were going down. I tried to run to the sliding door, but the building collapsed," recalled Xhosa.

He was buried under the rubble until rescue workers freed him on Tuesday at around 10:00.

George building collapse: Rescuers clear last of the debris, no more bodies found

Rescue workers are in the process of handing over the site of the collapsed building in George to the Department of Employment and Labour for investigation.

On Friday morning, Western Cape Local Government and Environmental Affairs MEC Anton Bredell said rescue workers had cleared the last of the debris from the five-storey building and had not found any more bodies.

Rescue workers have reached the bottom of the collapsed building site in George.

While there are still some areas that need to be cleared and secured, Colin Deiner, Head of Disaster Management in the Western Cape confirmed there are no more bodies at the scene.

- Nicole McCain

(Photo by Nicole McCain/News24)

Number of people believed to have been trapped at building site, revised  

Rescue and recovery operations at the collapsed building site at 75 Victoria Street in George are expected to cease on Friday.

Rescue workers and other role-players have been on site for 259 hours.

The number of people believed to have been on the site at the time of the collapse has now been revised after the terrain was cleared and no further victims were found.

"Based on information received from the contractor on site, the South African Police Service and other emerging external sources, the estimated number of individuals on site during the incident was 81. We are aware that as the rescue operation unfolded the numbers fluctuated, however we can now confirm that 62 individuals were either recovered or rescued which allows for a 54.8% rescue rate," the George Municipality said.

The death toll remained at 33, while four of the victims are yet to be identified.

- Nicole McCain

(Photo by the Garden Route District Municipality)

George building collapse: Do not worry, the government will help, Ramaphosa tells families

The families of the 33 people killed when a building under construction collapsed in George have been reassured they will receive assistance from the government.

President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the scene of the tragedy on Thursday and met with grieving family members. Among those who lost loved ones is Kefen Mwalughali.

He came to South Africa with his brother, Cosmas Mwangalawa, to find work to support their family in Malawi.

George building collapse: 'There is no worse grief' - Ramaphosa addresses families of victims

Bereaved families gathered in the George Town Hall on Thursday as President Cyril Ramaphosa offered his condolences.

He addressed the families after visiting the scene of the building which collapsed at the construction site.

Thirty-three people are confirmed to have died.

The families have been holding vigil at the hall since last Monday, hoping to hear news of their loved ones.

On Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in George following a building collapse that killed 33 people.

(Photo by Alfonso Nqunjana/News24)

Assistance will be provided for funerals of collapsed George building site victims  

President Cyril Ramaphosa told families of the victims of the collapsed apartment building in George there would be assistance for those who needed to be buried, and compensation would be made where it was required.

"We don't want to increase the burden and the suffering that you are going through," the president said.

Ramaphosa said the government recently dealt with the repatriation of 45 Botswana nationals who were killed in a bus crash in Limpopo.

He said the handling of the accident showed the government's ability to deal with major disasters.

"The capabilities of our government entities are second to none," he said.

The president added that it may "take some time" to examine the cause of the accident and who may be responsible.

He pleaded with family members to have patience, saying government officials would be as transparent as possible with the process.

- Nicole McCain

On Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in George following a building collapse that killed 33 people.

(Photo by Alfonso Nqunjana/News24)

President Ramaphosa meets loved ones of the collapsed George building site victims  

President Cyril Ramaphosa is meeting the families of the victims of the apartment building collapse in George, who have gathered in the George Town Hall.

The president is joined by Western Cape Premier Alan Winde, International Relations and Cooperation Deputy Minister, Alvin Botes and Western Cape Local Government MEC Anton Bredell.

Ramaphosa has expressed his condolences saying he has been extensively briefed on the efforts made since the disaster.

"You are the people seated here who are in grief. You have lost your loved ones. I thought it would be a good idea to come here and pass on some words of comfort," he said.

The president thanked all those who have aided in rescue efforts, and thanked representatives of the various countries the victims are from, saying the South African government had been working closely with neighbouring countries.

"This is the community of SADC," he said.

- Nicole McCain

(Photo by Nicole McCain/News24)

Colin Deiner briefs President Cyril Ramaphosa.

(Photo by Nicole McCain/News24)

President Cyril Ramaphosa and Western Cape Premier Alan Winde will meet with a number of rescue workers at the scene.

The rescue efforts have been ongoing for more than 230 hours.

- Nicole McCain

President Ramaphosa arrives at collapsed George building site President Cyril Ramaphosa is at the scene of a collapsed construction site in George.

The president is expected to meet with the families of those who were trapped when the building collapsed.

Colin Deiner, Head of Disaster Management in the Western Cape is briefing the president on the rescue efforts, including the successful recovery of more than 20 survivors from the rubble.

- Nicole McCain

(Photo by Alfonso Nqunjana/News24)

President Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived on the scene in George and is currently being briefed by Disaster Chief Colin Deiner.

(Photo by Alfonso Nqunjana/News24)

A crushed mini skid steer was recovered from the building that collapsed in George, Western Cape.

(Photo by Alfonso Nqunjana/News24)

Efforts to clear the rubble continue at the site where a building under construction collapsed last week. 

Photo by: Alfonso Nqunjana/News24

A K9 unit and the bomb squad are on the scene ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa's visit to the George collapsed site. 

Photo by: Alfonso Nqunjana/News24

EMS personnel inspects a massive hole at the collapsed construction site in George. 

Photo by: Alfonso Nqunjana/News24

Tonnes of building rubble removed from collapsed building site in George  

An estimated 2 500 tonnes of building rubble has thus far been removed from the collapsed building site in George.

"Approximately 500 tonnes are still remaining," the George Municipality said in a statement.

It added that the site had been divided into six sections for the rescue operation.

"Two of these sections have not yet been fully cleared down to the basement level and that process continues to take place."

- Warda Meyer

George rescue efforts focused on final areas where victims may be trapped  

Rescue efforts at the collapsed construction site are winding down, with officials still hopeful that their work will conclude on Friday.

Colin Deiner, Chief Director for Western Cape Provincial Disaster Services, said that while no more bodies had been recovered overnight, there is an area in which victims may still be trapped.

This area will be the focus of recuse operations on Thursday.

- Nicole McCain

Families to be supported for at least 6 months

Families of the victims of the building collapse in George will receive access to a "comprehensive range of services" from the Western Cape government over the next few months.

The George Municipality said the Western Cape Department of Social Development will support the affected families for a minimum of six months.

The partially built building in Victoria Street collapsed last Monday, leaving 33 people dead and 19 others still unaccounted for.

Sixty-two victims have thus far been pulled from the site.

- Warda Meyer

'We had hope until the last moment': Heartbreaking waiting game faced by families of George tragedy

Father-of-four Paul Mwatwana had dreams of returning to his home country of Malawi to grow his small agricultural business.

Search for 19 people still unaccounted for in George building tragedy continues  

Rescue workers in George are still searching for 19 victims at a collapsed building site in Victoria Street in George.

The George municipality said rescue teams have been on site for over 232 hours since the incident 10 days ago.

The municipality estimated that 81 people were on-site when the building collapsed, of which 62 were either rescued or recovered.

Among the 33 deceased are 27 males and six females while 12 others are currently in hospital.  

- Warda Meyer

(Photo supplied by George Municipality)

WATCH | George building collapse survivor Delvin Safers speaks out on death of five colleagues

"I was with those guys [my team] every day. It's difficult to know they won't be here anymore."

A heartbroken Delvin Safers returned to the scene of a building collapse in George, where he was trapped under rubble for 25 hours. While he made it out alive, his co-workers were among the casualties. As of Wednesday evening, the collapse had claimed the lives of 33 people.

Five of those were Safers' colleagues. He is the only survivor out of the team of electricians he was working with when the building collapsed on Monday, 7 May.

George building collapse: Officials hope to complete operation by Friday, death toll remains 33

It was quiet at the scene of the collapsed building in George on Wednesday, with little progress in the rescue operation.

47 George victims have been positively linked to their families

Forty-seven victims have been positively linked to their family following the collapse of a partially built building in Victoria Street, George more than a week ago.  

Rescue and recovery efforts have been ongoing with 62 victims being pulled from the site.  

"After an incident such as this, visual identification can understandably be difficult and traumatic for family members and requires SAPS to undertake identification through scientific means," said the George municipality.  

Thirty-three people have died, 27 males and 6 females, while 19 are still unaccounted for.  

- Lisalee Solomons

In a recent update on the ongoing operations at the George disaster site, rescue management teams have reported a quieter scene on Wednesday.

The death toll remained unchanged at 33 since 15:00 on Tuesday. Nineteen people remained unaccounted for.

George municipality fire chief Neels Barnard said their primary focus has been on clearing the rebar to gain access to the front right of the site.

"Then from there we are going down to the basement. We are very close to the basement," Barnard said.

- Iavan Pijoos

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to visit the George disaster site on Thursday

"President Ramaphosa remains deeply attentive to the rescue and recovery efforts under way and has expressed his deep condolences to the family and friends of the deceased workers," the presidency said in a statement on Wednesday.

- Iavan Pijoos

Eighteen deceased in George building collapse identified

Eighteen people who died when a partially built building collapsed at 75 Victoria Street in George last week, have been identified. The George Municipality confirmed that the formal identification process for the victims has been completed by the Forensic Pathology Service with 14 males and 4 females being identified. Seven of the 33 deceased who were recovered from the site, are South African, three are Zimbabwean, five are from Malawi, two from Mozambique and one from Lesotho. As of 06:00, 33 people, 27 males, 6 females, had been declared dead while 19 others are still unaccounted for. 

- Warda Meyer 

(Photo: George Municipality)

Engineering body recommended internal charges against George site engineer in February

Atholl Mitchell, the consulting engineer who was overseeing the construction of the apartment block in George that collapsed a week ago, was under investigation by the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) at the time of the deadly incident.

 It told News24 its investigating committee had, in February, recommended that Mitchell be charged with "various breaches of the ECSA's code of conduct". 

The ECSA regulates the engineering profession in South Africa by accrediting engineering programmes and registering engineers. The complaint that led to the investigation was lodged in December last year.

'Every human being has the right to life': SAHRC to probe George building collapse

The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) intends to investigate the collapse of the construction site in George to establish if there were any human rights violations.

The building collapsed last week, with 81 people said to be on the site at the time of the collapse.

As of midday on Tuesday, 19 people are still unaccounted for. The current death toll sits at 33.

SAHRC commissioner Aseza Gungubele said the commission was "particularly concerned about the lives lost and the number of workers injured" during the collapse.

George building collapse death toll rises to 33

The death toll of a collapsed George construction site has climbed to 33 after the body of a man was recovered on Tuesday afternoon. The George municipality confirmed that 19 people are still unaccounted for, as search efforts surpass the 193-hour mark.

– Nicole McCain

EMS workers are still on the scene at the site where a building collapsed in George, Western Cape. 

Photo: Alfonso Nqunjana/News24