The death toll in the George building collapse climbed to sixteen after two bodies were retrieved from the building site this morning. A survivor who was on the third floor of the building when it collapsed was also rescued from the rubles yesterday.

Our survivor has been successfully extracted from the debris after more than 116 hours. This is nothing short of a miracle - thank you to all the search and rescue teams! ???#GeorgeBuildingCollapse pic.twitter.com/VH3RXuIkRK

— Premier Alan Winde (@alanwinde) May 11, 2024

SURVIVING SIX DAYS UNDER RUBBLES

The survivor, 32-year-old Gabriel Guambe, spent 118 hours in the rubble of the collapsed construction site without food or water. Guambe is one of the 81 construction workers who were working on-site during the tragedy on Monday. Western Cape Premier Alen Winde said that Guambe's survival is a miracle they have all been waiting for. "Our survivor has been successfully extracted from the debris after more than 116 hours. This is nothing short of a miracle, thank you to all the search and rescue teams," Winde said. Winde added that Guambe is recovering well in the hospital with only minor injuries. "He is doing extremely well, especially considering he went 118 hours without food or water. He recently had his first meal in the hospital and is in good spirits,' he said.

GRATEFUL TO RESCUE TEAMS

Guambe also expressed gratitude to rescue personnel for their relentless efforts. He encouraged them to continue their dedication and hard work during the challenging task of searching for those still unaccounted for. Western Cape Emergency Services chief director Colin Deiner said that they are now working on removing rubble on the second floor after retrieving two bodies from the third floor of the collapsed building which was still under construction. "We are hoping that by the end of the day, we will retrieve more bodies," he said.

PROFFESIONAL PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT PRACTITIONERS NEEDED

Yesterday, MEC for Health in the Western Cape Dr Nomafrench Mbombo said in their ongoing efforts to support survivors and their families, they call for professional psychosocial support practitioners who can speak Chewa, Portuguese, and Shona languages as most of the workers are foreigners. The rescue and recovery efforts continue into the sixth day at the site of the collapsed building at 75 Victoria Street in George. The number of rescued workers is currently standing at 44 with 16 deceased, 14 in hospital, and 44 unaccounted. Minister of Police General Bheki Cele will together with the National Commissioner of SAPS General Fannie Masemola conduct a site visit today