- Rescue teams in South Africa are still searching for survivors trapped under rubble a week after an apartment building under construction collapsed.
- The construction worker was found alive after being without food or water for six days.
- According to authorities, 24 construction workers have been confirmed dead, 28 are missing and 29 have been found alive.
A week after an apartment complex under construction collapsed, South African rescue teams on Monday continued efforts to find survivors trapped under rubble.
Their hopes were further boosted over the weekend when one of the construction workers was found alive after six days without food or water.
Authorities have confirmed the deaths of 24 construction workers who were on site when the unfinished five-story building collapsed, and 28 more are missing, bringing the death toll to more than 50. announced that it is possible.
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More than 600 emergency services and other personnel are searching for survivors in the remains of a building that collapsed last Monday in the city of George on South Africa’s south coast.
According to the city, there were 81 workers at the site at the time of the collapse, but 29 were pulled out alive. Of these, 13 remain hospitalized without revealing detailed symptoms. The city previously said many of the survivors were in critical condition when they were found.
The disaster management team overseeing the emergency response noted that survivors had been evacuated on Saturday and insisted the operation was still a rescue, not a recovery.
Rescue workers search the scene of a collapsed building in George, South Africa, on May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
The city said the man, 32-year-old Gabriel Guambe, was in stable condition at the hospital and “only suffered minor injuries.” Guambe was reportedly trapped in the rubble for 118 hours.
His survival occurred in what is known as the “void” of the building’s ruins, where there are gaps between the concrete that may have allowed some workers to survive the collapse, allowing many more people to survive. He emphasized the hope of rescuers that he might be alive.
Rescue teams are using cranes and other heavy equipment to move some of the thousands of tons of concrete and try to reach deeper into the wreckage. Sniper dogs were also used, one of which was responsible for locating Guambe.
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Many of the workers are foreign nationals from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, and authorities needed interpreters to help communicate with survivors. He also said it was becoming difficult to identify the victims.
Multiple investigations were underway into the cause of the building collapse, including police, who labeled the scene a crime scene. The construction company responsible is being investigated for whether it followed proper safety protocols.
People began leaving flowers at the edge of the site in honor of the victims, while the city and disaster response team issued a joint statement asking South Africans to observe a moment of silence on Monday at 2:09 p.m. . A building collapsed last week.
