George building collapse death toll rises to five

The death toll from the collapsed building under construction in George in the Western Cape has risen to five.

George municipality confirmed that by 7.15am on Tuesday five people had been declared dead.  

“Twenty-five people have been removed from the rubble at the construction site at 75 Victoria Street, leaving 49 unaccounted for,” it said.

Emergency teams worked through the night to extricate workers from the rubble. Rescue workers used sniffer dogs

Gift of the Givers’ Mario Ferreira told TimesLIVE on Tuesday the situation was unlikely to change in the next few days. The rescue mission was going slowly because of the sensitivity of the terrain.

“The situation won’t change for ... the next few days. It’s not going to be a speedy and quick rescue mission,” he said.  

The Western Cape’s provincial head of disaster management, Colin Deiner, who was at the scene on Tuesday, said rescue workers had earlier rescued a woman who was then transported to hospital.

“I don’t know what her injuries are, she is alive. We have another 11 people who are alive, but still trapped,” he said.

Herman Pienaar of Love George, who was not permitted to  provide information, said the disaster had united the community.

“It is amazing. It is a sad day and it doesn’t look promising, but the guys keep working,” he said.  

TimesLIVE