Six dead and several trapped in Ormonde building collapse

Rescuers continue to comb through piles of rubble at a collapsed building in Ormonde, south of Johannesburg, in search of trapped construction workers.

At least six workers died when a portion of the building collapsed on Monday afternoon.

It is understood that the workers had recently completed the concrete slab for the second-floor deck when the structure gave in, trapping those underneath.

A total of 12 workers were inside the building at the time of the collapse. S

ix have been confirmed dead, three remain unaccounted for, two are still trapped, and one has been successfully rescued.

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What started as a normal workday for dozens of construction workers has ended in tragedy, as the surviving workers struggle to process the event that nearly took their lives.

They stand outside the building, watching emergency services dig through the rubble in search of those who remain trapped.

A sombre mood hangs over the scene as workers are removed from the collapsed building on stretchers, some of them without a breath of life. One surviving construction worker struggled to find the words to express his emotions.

"I don’t have the strength to even say anything right now. It’s just a tragedy," he said.

The City of Johannesburg says investigations into the circumstances that led to the building collapse will soon begin.