One week after the building collapsed in South Africa, authorities announced on Monday that the number of deaths from the collapsed building had increased to 30, and that 22 more persons were still unaccounted for.
Ten more dead were recovered by rescuers from the debris at the location in the southern city of George, according to local authorities.
Since the five-story apartment building, which was under construction, abruptly fell last Monday, rescue crews have been working nonstop.
There were eighty-one persons at the site at the time, most of them construction workers.So far, twenty-nine people have been saved.
Among them is a man who was extricated on Saturday following 116 hours beneath the debris.
“It is a miracle that we have all been hoping for,” Western Cape provincial premier Alan Winde said on X, formerly Twitter.
Search teams have vowed to comb every cavity among the wrecked building, but the chances of survival are fading.
“Rescue and recovery efforts continue into a week to this day after the incident took place,” the George municipality said.
At precisely 2:09 PM (1209 GMT), which is the time the building collapsed seven days ago, there was a moment of silence.
Authorities asked family members to come forward, stating they were carrying out a strategy to “expedite the identification of the deceased.”
“We are experiencing difficulties in obtaining accurate names of individuals missing or deceased,” they stated.
A few families have voiced their dissatisfaction with the identification process’s rapidity.
In order to help with counseling, the municipality also requested psychologists who are fluent in the languages of Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Mozambique, as well as Chewa and Portuguese.
Authorities have previously refrained from commenting on rumors that the majority of the crew may have been foreign immigrants.
The most industrialized country on the continent, South Africa, has long been a magnet for immigrants, many of whom arrive in quest of work without the necessary documentation.
An investigation is underway, but the cause of the building’s collapse—which had 42 flats and had obtained planning permission—is yet unknown.
