|
Of 81 people who were on site when the five-story building
collapsed on Monday, eight have been confirmed dead and 29
alive, 16 of them in a critical condition, according to the
latest figures from George municipality.
The identities of the missing have not been made public, but a
list of names was circulating among groups of relatives who have
congregated at the site since Monday, desperate for news of
their loved ones, state broadcaster SABC reported.
An earth mover could be seen removing broken slabs of concrete
from the collapsed building, now a chaotic pile of masonry and
twisted steel reinforcements. Sniffer dogs had been brought in
to search the site.
The drama has prompted an outpouring of solidarity in George,
with local companies providing equipment and volunteers setting
up coffee stalls for waiting relatives and rescue workers.
Rescue teams had been hearing trapped survivors, a disaster
management official said on Tuesday, but there have been no
further updates about that since then.
The causes of the collapse have yet to be established. President
Cyril Ramaphosa has called for an investigation.
(Reporting by Tannur Anders; Editing by Estelle Shirbon and
Andrew Heavens)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
