All five people who were trapped when a building collapsed in the Durban CBD on Saturday are alive and accounted for.
The single-storey structure in Union Lane was being renovated when the building collapsed at about 11am. According to authorities, the reason for the collapse will have to be investigated.
Garrith Jamieson, director of ALS Paramedics, was one of many rescuers from various units that attended the scene.
All five people who were trapped when a building collapsed in the Durban CBD have been rescued alive. pic.twitter.com/KGiSBBQwsX
— Times LIVE (@TimesLIVE) May 9, 2026
Jamieson told TimesLIVE there were five people in the building when it collapsed. One of them managed to get out fast, but the remaining four were trapped under rubble.
Members of the South African Police Service, Metro Police Search and Rescue, the Ethekwini fire department and ALS Paramedics all quickly responded.
“The metro guys managed to rescue three of the victims quite quickly. All of them were hurt, ranging from minor injuries to critical. All of them were taken to hospital,” Jamieson said.
He said the last victim was buried deeply under the collapse, so the site had to be stabilised before rescue workers could go in safely.
“We had to wait for heavy-duty rescue equipment to arrive, and as soon as we got it, the rescuers were able to go in and pull the trapped survivor out. That took an hour-and-a-half,” Jamieson said.
He told TimesLIVE that everyone known to have been in the building had been accounted for and there were no more people believed to be trapped.
TimesLIVE
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