Cape Town — The George Municipality confirmed that three more people have died in George building collapse, taking the total number of casualties to 12.
The latest report showed that three more bodies were recovered from the heap as Disaster Management teams work tirelessly to recover more bodies as quickly as possible, to ensure those trapped are still alive.
The current figures are as follows: 81 patients on-site at time of collapse, 40 patients retrieved, 12 deceased, 13 hospitalised and a further 41 unaccounted for.
The Disaster management said there are currently enough volunteers on-site, with names on the waiting list.
“The volunteer and donation response from the George community has been overwhelming and is commended and appreciated. We ask that the public please does not respond to any requests for volunteers on social media unless such notice is formally issued by the GRDM JOC and/or George Municipality,” the municipality said.
The Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has declared the incident site at Victoria Street a No-Fly Zone. This restriction will be strictly enforced, and any individuals found violating it will be subject to criminal prosecution.
[WATCH] Western Cape government authorities say some people, who were recovered from the debris of the collapsed building in George, were not on the list provided by the contractor, making them uncertain about the number of people who were on site at the time of the accident. pic.twitter.com/psnVhLVZnZ
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) May 10, 2024
According to IOL, the municipality said multi-agency command were using demolition equipment to lift the concrete slabs currently obstructing access to the lower floors of the building site.
“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.” the municipality added.
Professor Terreance Kommal said that in certain situations, humans can survive without water for three days, but there are factors that come into play, including stress and mental health, EWN reported.
“That dynamic changes if you’ve got trauma. So, if you’re bleeding, if you’re crushed, you’re injured, [then] you’re struggling to survive. Potentially, some hypothesise that you can survive up to three weeks without food, depending on somebody’s overall health and fat reserves.” Kommal said.
“Then there’s the mental health issue and the risk of the depression of not knowing if you’re going to be saved or not, compounding that is if you have any infections or medical conditions.” he added.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
