Picture by Deidré Cloete. Rescuers working tirelessly at the site of the Victoria Street building collapse.
This last week has been a roller coaster of emotion for many local residents, and indeed most of South Africa, as a result of the collapse of the multi-storey building in Victoria Street, George, resulting in the tragic loss of so many lives and serious injury to others on-site at the time.
At time of going to press (6pm Tuesday 14 May) the death toll had reached 33 (27 male and 6 female), with 19 people still not found.
With 81 souls in the building when it collapsed, many were trapped under layers of concrete rubble – it has been a race against the clock to retrieve those who managed to survive the collapse before they succumb to injuries, or indeed, lack of oxygen, food and water.
The tragedy, which has made international news, occurred on Monday, 6 May, at 14:09, with the initial emergency call being made within five minutes. At first, details were vague, with reports of a ‘collapse of scaffolding’ doing the rounds, but as emergency services arrived on the scene, the enormity of the situation became clear.
As construction of the ill-fated building was already more or less complete, the unfortunate souls working inside it when it collapsed were mostly teams of subcontractors – from painters to tilers to electricians.
Over the ensuing hours, multiple Disaster Service personnel, including medical services and Saps Search & Rescue teams, rushed to the scene. They were soon joined by emergency personnel from the City of Cape Town and Worcester Disaster Services and the Western Cape Provincial Disaster Services. Since then, approximately 200 emergency and other dedicated personnel, along with search and rescue dogs, have been tirelessly working at the site.
A Joint Operations Control Centre has been set up to deal with logistics, with Provincial Disaster Management personnel of the highest level sharing their expertise in directing operations.
Family and friends of victims rushed to the scene as they received news of the collapse. With the danger of further injury on site, they were directed to the nearby municipal buildings to wait for news. As hours turn to days, their ongoing plight can only be imagined. The Department of Social Services and Correctional Services Social Workers have been present to try to assist the families in dealing with their grief.
Volunteers poured in to offer help, working primarily on the perimeters of the site, keeping out of the way of danger, but providing invaluable assistance in the carting away of rubble, looking after the well-being of the rescue team and handing out vital refreshments, etc.
Meanwhile, the name of the developers of the building, Neo Victoria Developments, has been released. George Mayor Leon van Wyk confirmed that plans for the block of flats were submitted to the Municipality in December 2022 and approved in July 2023. The George Herald reported receiving a statement from the developers saying they are fully committed and supportive of the investigations envisaged by the premier of the Western Cape Province to determine the cause of the tragedy and undertake to cooperate fully with all authorities.
“We mourn the loss of life, the injuries suffered, and the bereavement of the loved ones and families affected. We are deeply moved by the actions of the rescue teams and authorities.” the letter stated.
Work on the scene was exceptionally difficult. Time was of the essence, but dangers of further collapse were always at the forefront, so the use of heavy machinery on the concrete slabs and piles of rubble had to be limited. By the end of day three, rescue workers had retrieved 37 victims, eight of whom were deceased.
On day four (Friday), a very tough decision had to be made. The JOC announced that the multi-agency rescue squad would begin using demolition equipment to lift the concrete slabs that were obstructing access to the lower floors of the building site.
“The meticulous and skilled rescue response to date, which has allowed for the recovery of 40 of the 81 trapped workers, has had to proceed carefully to avoid further collapse and injury.” they said in a statement, “The stability of the site is a threat to the safety of emergency personnel who have focused their efforts for the past 96 hours on rescuing as many trapped patients as possible. The decision to switch to using heavy-duty demolition equipment is not taken lightly. The demolition company has created a safe path to drive on over the site, filling in voids that have been thoroughly checked for any entrapped victims. Rescue techniques continue to be applied meticulously and sensitively at each phase.”
On Saturday, the sombre mood of the exhausted crew turned to delight when, after they had surely all but given up hope, a noise was heard deep under the rubble. Contact was made with a living survivor, and whoops of joy echoed around the site, and indeed the country, when Gabriel Gumba was eventually brought to the surface, having been trapped for 118 hours without food and water. Amazingly, he had only suffered minor injuries.
The search operation continued and indeed will continue until the last victim is retrieved.
Whilst investigations into the cause of the building’s tragic implosion are already underway, the main emphasis to date has understandably been on rescue and recovery operations.
Our heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost loved ones during this tragedy, and a massive vote of thanks to emergency personnel and volunteers who have kept going for so long, giving their all in an extremely challenging rescue operation that must surely be heart-wrenching.
