George building collapse death toll rises to 12
Three more bodies have been retrieved from the rubble on Friday.
Emergency services pull another survivor from the rubble of a collapsed building in George on 7 May 2024. Picture: Kayleen Morgan/Eyewitness News
CAPE TOWN - Three more deaths have been confirmed at the site of the George building collapse.
This brings to 12 the number of people who have died since the five-storey apartment block came crashing down on Monday.
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Forty-one people are still trapped under the rubble, while 18 survivors have been hospitalised, including one patient who has been airlifted to the Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town.
Western Cape Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo said that on-site forensic facilities have been set up so that morgues are not overburdened.
“The team has made a temporary structure. When they are found there will be preliminary examinations.”
Forensic labs are also on standby to expedite DNA samples for analysis.
Ninety-two hours into the operation and demolition crews are now working with rescue teams.
The airspace above the site has also been cleared as a precautionary measure to allow the rescue drone uninterrupted access.