One dead, 47 trapped in South Africa building collapse

One dead, 47 trapped in South Africa building collapse

A multi-storey building under construction in South Africa’s coastal city of George collapsed on Monday, killing at least one man and trapping about 47 workers in the rubble, police said.

“An inquest docket was opened after the body of a man was retrieved from the debris,” said police officer Christopher Spies after more than 20 people were hospitalised with injuries.

The Western Cape provincial government said it was monitoring the situation, AFP reported.

“At the moment, officials are focused on saving lives. This is our top priority at this stage,” said Alan Winde, Western Cape premier.

Those rescued from the site had been sent to hospitals across the Western Cape province, the municipality of George, a coastal city east of Cape Town, said in a statement.

Rescuers on site were trying to recover where they heard calls from people, George Mayor Leon van Wyk told broadcaster SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation), while rescue equipment was on its way.

“This is going to be a really lengthy exercise and probably going to go right through the night,” he said.