Ramaphosa calls for probe as George building collapse death toll rises

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for an investigation into the cause of the multistorey building collapse in George on the Garden Route and sent his condolences to the families and friends of the five people who died in the construction accident.

He said his thoughts were with the families of close to 50 people who are trapped in the rubble, and sent wishes to the rescue teams working to try to free those still pinned under the wreckage.

“Investigations into the cause of the incident must aim to bring closure to the community and prevent a repeat of this disaster,” the Presidency said.

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. 

Gift of the Givers' Mario Ferreira told TimesLIVE on Tuesday the situation is 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 probably, I think, the next few days. It's not going to be a speedy and quick rescue mission,” he said.  

The rescue operation continued overnight with sniffer dogs.

Western Cape provincial head of disaster management Colin Deiner, who was at the scene on Tuesday, said they had earlier rescued a woman who was transported to hospital.

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

Herman Pienaar of Love George said he wasn’t allowed to provide information but the rescue mission continued throughout the night. He said the disaster was uniting the community.

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

TimesLIVE