The number of people killed in the George building collapse rose to 17 on Sunday morning.
This is the sixth day of search and rescue operations since the collapse of the building on Monday.
Fire, Rescue and Disaster Services’ Neels Barnard said they would announce the total number of recoveries in due course.
“We are still in the rescue recovery mode; we recovered a body at 10.55, that of a woman, and the recovery went well. Now we have another body that we still need to extricate,” Barnard said.
He said they are hopeful that they will make more recoveries today, after a man was found alive after five days trapped in the rubble. “We are hoping to recover more people today after what happened yesterday.”
According to the George municipality, 81 people were on the site when the building collapsed shortly after 2pm on Monday,
So far, 44 people have been safely pulled out of the rubble, with 17 people declared dead, 14 still in hospital and 37 still trapped under the rubble.
“The Joint District Operations Centre adheres to a stringent double verification protocol to ensure the accuracy of the reported numbers. This is done in close collaboration with recovery teams, hospitals and forensic services,” the municipality said.
Compiled by staff writer
Pictured above: The scene of the building that collapsed on Monday in Victoria Street, George, Western Cape.
Image source: George Municipality
