As more bodies recovered, George building collapse death toll rises to 13
The death toll from the tragic George building collapse has been revised to 13, while 40 other people remain trapped under the rubble.
Earth-moving machinery at the site of a building collapse in George, in the Western Cape. Picture: George Municipality/Facebook
GEORGE - The death toll from the tragic George building collapse has been revised to 13, while 40 other people remain trapped under the rubble.
This after a five-storey residential building caved in on more than 80 construction workers who were on site on Monday.
Rescue teams have been working tirelessly to trace the missing workers.
It remains unclear at this stage what caused the building to fold.
Within hours of arriving on site, the earth-moving machinery have helped rescuers recover five more bodies.
Rescue teams have been at it for more than 100 hours.
Along with the change in heavy-duty guard, more morgue vans have also pulled up.
The MEC responsible for Disaster Management, Anton Bredell: "We try to work faster with the bigger machines, but we must be very careful. We don’t want to be the cause of losing a patient, therefore there are spotters on the machines, cameras on site. It’s a long process."
More than 700 experts involved in the marathon rescue, are on rotation to ensure not only fresh legs but sharp decision-making in this meticulous rescue mission.