The official death toll of the George building disaster now stands at 27, with a further 25 people still unaccounted for, the George Municipality said on Monday afternoon.
To date 56 of the 81 individuals known to have been on-site at the time of the disaster have been rescued or their bodies recovered. Thirteen of those rescued are still in hospital.
Rescue workers and other disaster management role players have now been on site for 169 hours, since the disaster occurred on Monday afternoon last week.
“The primary focus continues to be on rescue efforts,” the municipality said in a press release.
“With this in mind, we are also setting up plans to expedite the identification of the deceased. This is done by Forensic Pathology Service (FPS) and South African Police Service (SAPS). We endeavour to fast-track the process to help bring closure to families.”
The municipality, however, said there were some challenges in identifying the deceased and missing.
“We are experiencing difficulties in obtaining accurate names of individuals missing or deceased due to the building collapse. We urgently request families who have lost contact with their loved ones to come to the George Civic Centre on York Street. This will enable the department of social development to collect detailed and precise information, ensuring that all records are accurately documented,” the municipality said.
Meanwhile the Western Cape Property Development Forum has cautioned against uninformed speculation or commentary on possible causes of the disaster, and the negative impact that may have.
“We are very concerned that uninformed, opportunistic and emotive commentators may be spreading rumours without facts to substantiate their claims,” WCPDF chairperson Deon van Zyl said in a statement on Saturday in response to queries.
“The reality is that no one can truly claim to already know what caused the collapse of the building. We call on the public to allow the authorities tasked with the investigation to undertake their objective assessment and determine the cause of this tragic event.
“The collapse of the George building and the loss of life on a construction site is the worst thing that can possibly happen to a developer, contractor and the design professionals. The impact on the construction team is devastating. Our hearts go out to the construction workers and their families.
“It is understandable that everybody wants quick answers. The reality is that it will take some time to know what caused this tragic accident,” Van Zyl said.
Cape property forum wants end to speculation on cause of killer building collapse
George municipality speaks of challenges identifying some of the deceased as death toll reaches 27
Image: George Municipality
The official death toll of the George building disaster now stands at 27, with a further 25 people still unaccounted for, the George Municipality said on Monday afternoon.
To date 56 of the 81 individuals known to have been on-site at the time of the disaster have been rescued or their bodies recovered. Thirteen of those rescued are still in hospital.
Rescue workers and other disaster management role players have now been on site for 169 hours, since the disaster occurred on Monday afternoon last week.
“The primary focus continues to be on rescue efforts,” the municipality said in a press release.
“With this in mind, we are also setting up plans to expedite the identification of the deceased. This is done by Forensic Pathology Service (FPS) and South African Police Service (SAPS). We endeavour to fast-track the process to help bring closure to families.”
The municipality, however, said there were some challenges in identifying the deceased and missing.
“We are experiencing difficulties in obtaining accurate names of individuals missing or deceased due to the building collapse. We urgently request families who have lost contact with their loved ones to come to the George Civic Centre on York Street. This will enable the department of social development to collect detailed and precise information, ensuring that all records are accurately documented,” the municipality said.
Meanwhile the Western Cape Property Development Forum has cautioned against uninformed speculation or commentary on possible causes of the disaster, and the negative impact that may have.
“We are very concerned that uninformed, opportunistic and emotive commentators may be spreading rumours without facts to substantiate their claims,” WCPDF chairperson Deon van Zyl said in a statement on Saturday in response to queries.
“The reality is that no one can truly claim to already know what caused the collapse of the building. We call on the public to allow the authorities tasked with the investigation to undertake their objective assessment and determine the cause of this tragic event.
“The collapse of the George building and the loss of life on a construction site is the worst thing that can possibly happen to a developer, contractor and the design professionals. The impact on the construction team is devastating. Our hearts go out to the construction workers and their families.
“It is understandable that everybody wants quick answers. The reality is that it will take some time to know what caused this tragic accident,” Van Zyl said.
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