George Building Collapse: 5 Lives Lost, 49 Still Missing

• Five people have succumbed to their injuries in the multi-storey building collapse in George, Western Cape
• The municipality confirmed that 26 people were removed from the rubble, while 49 were still unaccounted for
• The under-construction building collapsed on the afternoon of 6 May 2024 with 75 workers on site

Zingisa Chirwa is an experienced Briefly News journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, who has covered current affairs on the radio for over 15 years.

Five people have lost their lives in the tragic multi-storey building collapse in George in the Western Cape.

Search and rescue operations continue

The George Municipality released a statement confirming that at 09:00 on 7 May 2024, 26 people were removed from the rubble, while 49 remained unaccounted for.

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George building collapse: 22 workers rescued after tragedy

Seventy-five construction workers were reportedly on the site when the building collapsed at 14:09 on 6 May 2024.

The municipality said rescue personnel combed through the rubble, searching for the workers.

It further requested that safety equipment donations be delivered to the GRDM Fire Station.

South Africans share their thoughts

Facebook users who responded to news of the collapse shared their views.

Molaodi Kembo-Madito wondered:

“I just wonder who the engineer was or even if there was an engineer. How could a building under construction collapse?”

Gibson Thulani Sithole speculated:

“Cadre are getting tenders.”

Phumelele Phumza Mahlaba said:

“Those with haha reactions surely aren't human. It's sad that one person has been reported to have passed on.”

Moguy O'lekker commented:

“They would've blamed ANC if it was at other province.”

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Tony Jange Tony advised:

“Bring more breakers and compressors.”

A TikTok video shows a child rescued from horrible living conditions

Briefly News reported that a human rights NPO rescued a child from terrible living conditions.

Unchain Our Children shared a video of the house, which was dirty and unsafe.

Netizens bawled and asked for the dog in one of the rooms in the footage.

Source: Briefly News