George building collapse: Cyril Ramaphosa visits site

Rescue and recovery efforts are into day 10 following the tragic incident in George which saw a building under construction collapse last Monday afternoon.

Rescue workers and other role-players have been on site of the collapsed building for 241 hours at the time of publishing.

Construction plans for a 42-unit apartment block had been approved by the city last July.

The reasons for the George building collapse are still unknown.

According the latest George Municipality update in its latest update at 15:00 on Thursday, the confirmed statistics for the incident are:

Total estimated individuals on-site when the incident occurred: 81
Rescued and recovered: 62
Of which deceased: 33 (27 males, 6 females)
Currently hospitalised: 12
Unaccounted for: 19

FAMILIES LINKED TO SURVIVORS AND DECEASED

Up to now, 47 victims have been linked to their families.

BUILDING RUBBLE REMOVAL

An estimated 2 500 tons of building rubble has been removed from the incident site, with approximately 500 tons still remaining.

For the purposes of the rescue operation, the site has been divided into six sections.

Two of these sections have not yet been fully cleared down to the basement level and that process continues to take place.

STRICT VERIFICATION IN PLACE

The Garden Route District Joint Operations Centre’s adherence to a stringent double verification protocol is crucial for maintaining the integrity and accuracy of reported numbers of the deceased, which is essential in emergency and disaster response scenarios.

This verification process involves cross-referencing information from multiple reliable sources, such as recovery teams, hospitals, and forensic services.

REFRAIN FROM SPECULATION

The public is advised that official investigations into the incident are being undertaken by SAPS, Department of Labour, Department of Infrastructure as well as an independent structural engineering firm appointed by the Western Cape Government.

Speculation and possible causes by unofficial “experts” could impact negatively on the official investigation.

The public is requested to refrain from spreading malicious rumours and/or fake news.

DONATIONS FOR EMERGENCY PERSONNEL

The George Municipality has provided details of how the public can support the multi-disciplinary emergency personnel with donations of drinking water, energy drinks, wine gums, or food for emergency services while they are on-site.

Donations may be delivered to AFM (AGS) Soteria Church at 27 Victoria Street in George or contact the Gift of the Givers: Mario Ferreira (082 490 2752) and Herman Pienaar (082 829 6428) in this regard.

MINISTERIAL AND OTHER VISITS

President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the disaster site in George on Thursday, along with the Premier of the Western Cape, Alan Winde.

They were accompanied by several National and Provincial Ministers.

ARE YOU ABLE TO MAKE A FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION?

The municipality has also had requests from the public about financial donations.

Please use the banking details below:

• George Municipality: Relief and Charitable Fund
• ABSA BANK Cheque Acc: 9149554208
• Branch Code: 632005

POST-INCIDENT SUPPORT

The Western Cape Department of Social Development has indicated that a comprehensive range of services will continue to be made available to the affected families for a minimum of six months.

Psychosocial support for all rescue and non-rescue personnel will be addressed.