Eight days after the tragic George building collapse at 75 Victoria Street, ongoing rescue and recovery efforts continue to be executed by local and national teams.
George building collapse: What are the latest updates?
The Garden Route District Joint Operations Centre (JOC) and George Municipality have provided the latest statistics on the ongoing crisis in George.
The collapse has been the focus of an intensive 208-hour rescue operation.
Current figures reveal that 81 people were on-site when the collapse occurred, with 62 individuals so far rescued or recovered.
The death toll currently stands at 33, consisting of 27 males and 6 females, while 12 individuals remain hospitalized and 19 are still unaccounted for.
Efforts to identify the victims continue, with 18 identifications completed so far (14 males and 4 females).
The identified victims include 7 South Africans, 3 Zimbabweans, 1 Lesotho national, 5 Malawians, and 2 Mozambicans.
The identification process is being managed by SAPS, supported by the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness Forensic Pathology Service (FPS), which also handles visual identifications.
What are rescuers doing to remove the rubble?
The removal of rubble at the collapse site involves a coordinated approach among multiple rescue and emergency teams.
Specialised machinery and equipment are being used to lift and clear heavy debris, while ensuring the safety of any potential survivors still trapped beneath.
Search and rescue dogs are deployed to sniff out survivors, and sensitive manual methods are used where machinery cannot be deployed to prevent further harm to any trapped individuals or disturbance of human remains.
As the community and rescue workers push forward, the focus remains on finding the missing, providing closure for families, and investigating the cause of the collapse to prevent future incidents.
The extensive support from the local community has led to sufficient donations, prompting the George Municipality to redirect further contributions to other needed areas.
Companies linked to George building collapse
The development of the collapsed building involved several entities, each responsible for different aspects of the project:
- Neo Victoria Developments Pty Ltd. – They owned the land where the building was constructed. This means they provided the space for the building to be built.
- Neotrend Developments Pty Ltd & East Africa Development Pty Ltd. – These companies managed the entire building project. They organised everything from planning what the building would look like to deciding when and how the building process would happen.
- Liatel Developments Pty Ltd. – As the main contractor, this company was in charge of the actual construction work. They directed the day-to-day building activities, hiring workers, and making sure construction went according to plan.
- Mitchell & Associates – They worked as the structural and civil engineers and also as the principal agent. As engineers, they focused on making sure the building was designed to be strong and stable. As the principal agent, they were the main communicator between the construction team and the project owners, overseeing all details of the project’s progress.
- Deon van der Westhuizen Architects cc – This firm was responsible for designing the building. They created the plans that showed how the building should look and function once finished.
- Matla Quantity Surveyors Pty Ltd. – This company handled the financial side of the construction. They measured and kept track of all materials and labour used to build the building to make sure everything stayed within budget.
- 4Front Safety and Security Consultants Pty Ltd. – Their job was to oversee health and safety on the construction site. They made sure that all safety rules were followed to protect workers from accidents.
- Clinkscales Maughan-Brown Pty Ltd. – They were the electrical engineers. Their role was to plan and oversee all the electrical installations in the building, ensuring that the wiring and electrical systems were safe and functional.
- Duane Hodges Consulting Engineer – Specialised in fire engineering, this engineer ensured that the building had proper fire safety measures, such as fire alarms, sprinklers, and safe evacuation routes.