Rescuers search rubble with dozens still missing after South Africa building collapse

(8 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
George, South Africa - 8 May 2024
1. Wide of excavator and rescue workers on wreckage
2. Rescue workers passing bricks
3. Various of collapsed rubble
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Leon van Wyk, George Executive Mayor:
"We are now 48 hours into the recovery operation after the collapse of this building on Monday afternoon just after 2 pm. So, the efforts over the past two days has been rescue and the emphasis then being to try and find people who are buried under this rubble that we have behind us. So, and what we were fortunate in is, we were able to pick up sounds of people tapping on the concrete below or there were even phone calls at a time in terms of cellphone calls."
5. Wide of rescuers looking through hole in the concrete
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Leon van Wyk, George Executive Mayor:
"We've recovered 36 people of which, unfortunately, seven are deceased. And there is still 39 that are unaccounted for that are buried somewhere in the rubble behind us. So, the rescue part is still continuing with the operation, but at the same, what the teams are now doing are preparing for recovery."
7. Various of families and friends waiting for news of loved ones trapped in the rubble
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Zebron Mhone, relative of a trapped worker:
"She's, her name is Florance. She was working inside of that building as a cleaner. So she also is involved in the accident."
9. Wide of women waiting on news of relatives
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Zebron Mhone, relative of a trapped worker:
"Truly it is very pain (painful), yeah, it is very pain (painful) because as a human to be under the ground it is very pain (painful). But with faith in God, we still have faith that she will come out."
11. Various of rescue dog searching the rubble for human scent
STORYLINE:
Rescue teams in South Africa continued their search for survivors buried under the rubble of a building that collapsed on Monday.

39 workers were still unaccounted for on Wednesday, third day of the rescue operation, as expert teams brought in from other cities and towns continued to search through the wreckage.

Cranes and other heavy lifting equipment were brought in to lift some of the huge concrete slabs that came crashing down on workers, while rescuers formed lines to remove the smaller rubble by hand.

Seven workers have been confirmed dead, while authorities in the city of George on South Africa's south coast released new information on the injuries, saying 16 of the 29 people rescued from the debris were in a critical condition in hospitals and another six had life-threatening injuries.

Rescuers said some of the survivors had used their cell phones while trapped under the debris to contact family members and that had helped emergency responders find them.

"What we were fortunate in is, we were able to pick up sounds of people tapping on the concrete below or there were even phone calls at a time in terms of cellphone calls.", Leon van Wyk, George Executive Mayor of George said.

Families and friends of trapped workers continued to wait on site, hoping to hear good news from their loved ones.

"It's very painful for a human being to be under the ground", Zebron Mhone, a relative of a trapped worker told AP.

"But we still have faith that she will come out".

Authorities in South Africa have announced multiple investigations into the cause of the building collapse, including by police, the provincial government and the national department of labor.

AP video by Nqobile Ntshangase

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