A five-story apartment building in the Coastal City of George in the Western Cape collapsed last week. The cause of the collapse has yet to be determined and the death toll is at 33. Among the survivors pulled from the rubble was Delvin Safers who was trapped for 15 hours.(BBC)
The flats with a mountain view were now a pile of debris, twisted metal reinforcements and mangled scaffolding, burying dozens of those who had been working on site. Mr Safers remembered that his phone was in his pocket and with his one free arm he made his first call – a last word with his family as he was convinced he would not survive. “I wanted to say goodbye as I was trapped and thought it was over for me,” the 29 year old tells the BBC from his home in Mossel Bay, a town 40 km (25 miles) south west of George.(BBC)
The fact that this man was able to survive is nothing short of a miracle, he was under the weight of the loose rubble and metal left by the collapse. The fact that he emerged from being trapped in a suffocating space beneath the collapsed ruin of the apartment block can only be attributed to luck and perhaps – some shred of hope. The 33 people who died that day were not so fortunate. Safers was trapped with only one hand free and he was able to call his family on his phone. This could again be summed up as luck, but with this call he was able to alert not only his family but even the rescue team to the fact that he was alive. This created hope that others may still be alive. Now the retrieval of the bodies from the debris has ended.
Rescue workers have reached the bottom of the collapsed building site in George. While there are still some areas that need to be cleared and secured, Colin Deiner, Head of Disaster Management in the Western Cape confirmed there are no more bodies at the scene. Rescue and recovery operations at the collapsed building site at 75 Victoria Street in George are expected to cease on Friday. Rescue workers and other role-players have been on site for 259 hours. The number of people believed to have been on the site at the time of the collapse has now been revised after the terrain was cleared and no further victims were found. (NEWS 24)
So now the wreckage has been cleared. The bodies have all been retrieved, those who survived have been taken to hospital for medical treatment. The area may still be unstable but investigations will continue. It has proven to be a busy and unpleasant week for the rescue teams. To retrieve those bodies of all those people who died under the rubble. It should serve as a warning in the future that construction sites need to be observed with the utmost care for hazards. In these times when we are putting efforts into this Fourth Industrial Revolution with the creation of robotics, genetic research and artificial intelligence we need to utilize how we can develop devices that can help detect the risks of collapse on construction sites.
“Based on information received from the contractor on site, the South African Police Service and other external sources, the estimated number of individuals on site during the incident was 81. We are aware that as the rescue operation unfolded the numbers fluctuated, however we can confirm that 62 individuals were either recovered or rescued which allows for 54.8% rescue rate,” the George Municipality said. The death toll remains at 33, while four of the victims are yet to be identified. Nicole McCain said. The families of the 33 people killed when a building under construction collapsed in George have been reassured they will have assistance from the government.(News 24)
President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the scene of the tragedy on Thursday and met with grieving family members.(news 24)
An investigation into the collapse of the building will now be under way. The issue does raise some questions about how this tragedy happened. Was the ground beneath the building uneven? Were the foundations stable? There will be a thorough investigation led by the Western Cape Police. All three levels of government, the national, provincial and local will cooperate on this case. The fact that thirty-three out of sixty-two people survived shows the odds of death in itself. If there was foul play involved those responsible should be held accountable. The fact that 33 people are dead should be investigated. The state will investigate the matter and determine who or what was responsible.
Ramaphosa himself should raise the matter with the local and provincial authorities not just speak to the family members. This disaster will be investigated, and the truth will come to light.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
