George Building Collapse: 'Chances of more survivors seem very slim'
On Thursday, Breakfast with Martin Bester spoke to Dr Imtiaz Sooliman from Gift of the Givers after a building collapsed in the city of George.
Tragedy struck at 14:09 on Monday, 6 May, when a multi-storey construction site at 75 Victoria Street in the city of George collapsed.
Search and rescue efforts were underway immediately following the collapse.
According to Jacaranda FM reporter Mmangaliso Khumalo, eight people have died since the collapse, and 29 have been pulled out safely and are currently being treated.
A total of 44 people who were on-site on the day are yet to be found.
Initially, it was thought that 75 people were unaccounted for, but after a meeting with the Department of Labour, files showed that more people were on-site.
On Thursday, Martin Bester spoke to the founder of Gift of the Givers, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, who has been working tirelessly on the site of the disaster.
"The first thing we do in these situations is we offer assistance to those working on-site," said Sooliman.
Gift of the Givers has assisted rescue personnel, survivors, and the families of those caught in the rubble with gloves, lip balm, blankets, jackets, and sanitary pads. He added that the community of George have also been superb in assisting victims and personnel.
Dr Sooliman said that when he first saw the pictures, he knew that this was an extreme tragedy as the building was completely "pancaked".
A total of 6 people have been killed, with 27 people removed from rubble and 48 people unaccounted for after a multi-story construction building collapsed yesterday in George, Western Cape, South Africa 🇿🇦
— DISASTER TRACKER (@DisasterTrackHQ) May 7, 2024
▪︎ 6 May 2024 ▪︎#georgebuildingcollapse #George #SouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/2jXRETAQJO
When sniffer dogs first arrived on the scene, four people were pulled out safely.
"I don't follow the 72-hour rule, but with each hour passing, sniffer dogs are not picking up any more scents of alive people, and they are picking up more scents of deceased people."
Dr Sooliman added that the chances of more survivors is looking "very slim" based on what survivors from the tragedy are saying, as well as the response from the sniffer dogs.
Update on Building Collapse, Victoria Street: 23 patients extracted https://t.co/e3cTI9j8y1 pic.twitter.com/A94CMtvOL9
— GeorgeHerald (@GeorgeHerald) May 6, 2024
Most of the victims trapped under the rubble are foreign nationals.
They came from other countries to make an honest living, and now their families have not only lost members, but also their breadwinners.
According to the doctor, this tragedy is going to require a lot of investigation into the building company as it was a human error.
Read more:
- 22 hospitalised after George building collapse
- George building collapse kills five, traps dozens: police
- Ramaphosa sends condolences to George building collapse victims
- George building collapse death toll increases to 7
- George building collapse shows need to improve safety at construction sites, says Nxesi
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Image: SAPS