The George municipality confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that 36 people had been rescued from the rubble at 75 Victoria Street. (Herman Pieters/Garden Route District Municipality)
Echoes from under the debris from a building that collapsed on Monday in George, killing seven people, are giving rescue operators hope of finding more people alive.
The George municipality confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that 36 people had been rescued from the rubble at 75 Victoria Street, leaving 39 still unaccounted for after the multi-storey building collapsed shortly after 2pm on Monday.
Of the 36 people, 16 are in critical condition, while six have life-threatening injuries and seven have been retrieved with minor injuries.
Rescue workers have been working around the clock to ensure that every person stuck in the rubble is accounted for, said George municipality spokesperson Chantel Edwards.
“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 collapse site, volunteers have stepped in to provide essential support,” she said.
The two-bedroomed apartments were expected to boast mountain views.
George mayor Leon van Wyk confirmed that the project developer for the building was the NT Neotrend Group, which employed Liatel Developments as the contractor.
He said the Neotrend Group submitted plans to the George municipality on 22 December 2022 and these were approved in July 2023.
The mayor said the town has had no contact from the Neotrend Group aside from the workers’ names that were provided on Monday for rescue efforts.
“We haven’t been in contact but from what we have heard is that they [Neotrend officials] came on site with their attorney appointed by their insurer but they did supply us with the names of the workers after the building collapsed on Monday,” Van Wyk said.
The Neotrend Group had not responded to the Mail & Guardian’s query by the time of publication.
Rescue workers have been working around the clock to ensure that every person stuck in the rubble is accounted for
Liatel Development director Theuns Kruger said the company’s priority is to assist with rescue efforts in any way possible.
“We are fully committed to cooperating with the authorities to determine the cause of this incident [and] we will ensure that a thorough investigation is conducted to understand what led to the collapse,” Kruger told reporters at the scene, in remarks broadcast on television.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde told a press conference on Tuesday that the province had appointed an independent structural engineer who had already started investigating the cause of the building collapse.
The department of employment and labour has also dispatched its inspectors to inspect the site.
“As we reflect on this tragic event, it is imperative to recommit ourselves to the principle that no job is worth risking the safety or lives of employees,” Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi said in a statement.
Colin Deiner, the chief director for Western Cape provincial disaster services, said even though the international standard for rescue operations is three days the rescue workers will continue until the weekend to find survivors.