The count of missing individuals trapped beneath the wreckage of a collapsed five-story apartment building in South Africa had escalated Thursday morning, surpassing the earlier tally, with authorities revealing that there were six additional workers on the construction site than previously accounted for. Local officials in George, a town situated on South Africa's southern coast, estimated that 81 workers were present on the site when the building crumbled into a mass of shattered concrete and tangled metal.
As of Thursday, 29 individuals had been rescued from the site, with eight fatalities confirmed. With three days having elapsed since the collapse, hopes were fading rapidly for the 44 workers still unaccounted for, with the chances of finding them alive diminishing.
Among the survivors extricated from the debris, six were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, while 16 others were in critical condition. Mayor Leon Van Wyk of George mentioned that rescue efforts briefly paused on Wednesday to investigate a "sound or tapping" emanating from under the shattered concrete slabs. However, he acknowledged the diminishing likelihood of finding survivors alive, noting that the chances decrease significantly after 72 hours.
Van Wyk stated that the operation would transition from rescue to "body recovery" over the next day. The municipality of George announced that more substantial concrete breakers and additional trucks would be deployed to remove building rubble overnight, facilitating the extraction of remaining trapped individuals.
Although the cause of the collapse was yet to be determined, both local and national authorities promised thorough investigations. Moses Malala, a surviving foreman, recounted hearing a loud noise before the building collapsed. Malala, who was working on the roof, described feeling his footing slipping as the structure began to give way, witnessing his colleagues falling one by one. Despite sustaining injuries, he managed to escape and has been assisting with rescue operations.
Over 200 rescue workers and emergency personnel, divided into three teams, continued their search on Wednesday. The building, which collapsed around 2:00 pm on Monday, was intended to be a 42-unit apartment block. On Tuesday night, there were faint cheers as a survivor was extracted from the debris and another body was recovered.
"This is tragic, this should never have happened," said Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of the disaster relief NGO Gift of the Givers. "You can't blame the municipality, you can't blame the government. You got to blame the people who were responsible for this construction."
Religious leaders and social workers were on-site to support and console distraught families. Men, women, and children gathered at the city hall, singing and praying as they awaited updates on their loved ones.
"I'm not feeling well because I did not get any information," said Alfred Mbono, a relative of a missing worker. "They just told us that we... need to wait. But we wait from... three days."