SAPS Investigations Into George Building Collapse Will Formally Commence

• The George building collapse site will be handed over to the South African Police Service and the Department of Labour on Friday
• To date, 62 people have been rescued and recovered, of which 33 are deceased, 12 are currently in hospital, and 19 remain unaccounted for
• President Cyril Ramaphosa said government will compensate the victims and their families for the tragic experience

Investigations into the collapse of the George building site will officially start after the site is handed over on Friday.

The building will be handed over to the South African Police Service and the Department of Labour for their investigations.

The incident, which occurred with an estimated 81 individuals on-site, has since resulted in a devastating toll, leaving 33 confirmed fatalities and 19 individuals still unaccounted for.

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Some victims rescued

As of now, 62 people have been successfully rescued and recovered from the site, while 12 remain hospitalised due to injuries sustained during the collapse.

Speaking to SABC News on Thursday morning, Colin Deiner, the Head of Disaster Management in the Western Cape, addressed ongoing concerns about the site's stability.

"We are concerned about the walls' stability. There hasn't been any movement on them, but we must be careful."Accounting

"Once we have cleared that, we believe we should be able to hand over the site to the police for further investigation. Our current concern is that the site is safe as people will be moving around, and it has to be secured."

He said one of the rescue teams' priorities was to locate a car that was reportedly parked in the building's basement at the time of the collapse.

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Despite challenges posed by the collapsed structure, rescue teams remain optimistic about locating any remaining individuals.

"We do know that there was a vehicle in there, and that is what we are trying to get to now. We are confident that we will get there, but these areas have been heavily pancaked."

Accounting for the remaining 19 individuals is ongoing, with efforts focused on information gathered from survivors and contractors. While not an exact number, this figure provides a crucial focus for the continuing search and rescue operations.

"As the rescue and recovery phase concludes, attention now turns towards investigating the cause of the collapse. Once the site is secured and handed over to the authorities, the Department of Labour will conduct further investigations to determine the circumstances leading to this tragic event."

Compensating the victims and their families

President Cyril Ramaphosa has sympathised with the families affected by the tragedy at the George building site and noted that the victims and their families will be compensated.

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Watch the video below:

The President convened with disaster officials at the joint operations centre situated at the Garden Route District Municipality.

Following this meeting, he proceeded to the collapsed building location, offering condolences directly to the grieving families.

"The entire Southern African Development Community (SADC) is in mourning. We are here to provide solace and convey our heartfelt condolences on behalf of the national government, including myself as the President, and all my colleagues, including the numerous ministers who have joined me in this visit."

He acknowledged the possibility of discrepancies in the reported number of missing individuals and stressed the need for accurate information in the ongoing search and rescue efforts.

South Africans disagree with Ramaphosa

@smalltalkdaily said:

"What about the huge number of deaths at The Life Esidimeni tragedy? But wait… that wasn’t near a critical election hey #CyrilRamaphosa #ANC #Election #SouthAfrica so they can be swept under the carpet."

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Death toll in George building collapse rises to 24, 13 people hospitalised

@TieOnto added:

"Will the families of those who died while in the Republic illegally also benefit from our taxes? If so, then we have a useless government!"

@Lunga_26 commented:

"Marikana victims can only wish."

@MaxM18 said:

"That’s not a government building; the company must be responsible for its employees."

The contractor responsible for George building collapse is nowhere to be found

Briefly News previously reported that Neo Trend Group ICE Projects, responsible for the tragic George building collapse, is nowhere to be found.

George Municipality Mayor Leon van Wyk said Minister Thulas Nxesi noted that the offices were empty.

The building's collapses prompted urgent calls for a thorough investigation by Machwene Semenya, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements.

Semenya has urged the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) to initiate a comprehensive investigation within its mandate swiftly.

Source: Briefly News