Search and rescue efforts, have entered day 4, approaching 91 hours of searching for 44 people trapped under the rubble of a multi-story building that collapsed in George on Monday afternoon.
Thulas Nxesi, Minister of Employment and Labour, visited the scene yesterday and said to media that all hands are on deck to rescue remaining trapped people, while investigations also continue about the cause of the incident.
Nxesi said “all government departments and the different spheres of government will be allowed to do their own investigations, but we are going to do so cooperatively. We have to support each other. It is not a competition and we cannot play politics with the lives of the workers.”
Nxesi called on all parties to put their differences aside and work together.
“We know it’s election time and that’s why we tend to say anything, but now it’s about a disaster that affects our workers in particular.”
About 81 people were on site when the incident occurred. Of this amount, 37 people were removed from the rubble.
About, 9 have lost their lives, 15 are in a critical condition, 6 have sustained life-threatening injuries and 7 have minor injuries.
Teams from National, Provincial and local volunteers, have prioritized to rescue 44 more people, while desperate families wait in anticipation.
The George Municipality announced yesterday that big earth-moving machinery would now be used. This includes 5 ton excavators, about 3 x 20-ton excavators with hammers and buckets, and a 3 – cube front loader.
Picture: George Municipality