Rescuers contact some living workers in the rubble of a deadly building collapse in South Africa

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Rescue teams searching for dozens of construction workers missing since a multistory apartment complex collapsed in a coastal town in South Africa have made contact with 11 people buried alive under the shattered rubble, said the authorities on Tuesday.

A man called his wife out from under the rubble of the five-story building that was under construction when it collapsed on Monday, the head of the rescue operation said. This allowed emergency services to locate the man, even though he was still trapped and had not yet been released.

The deaths of six workers have been confirmed and there are fears the death toll could rise sharply. There is no news about 37 other people missing among the huge concrete and metal scaffolding that collapsed when the building collapsed in the town of George, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of Cape Town.

Twenty-one other workers were rescued from the site and taken to various hospitals, with at least 11 of them suffering serious injuries, George township said.

Western Cape Provincial Emergency Services Director Colin Deiner said the search and rescue operation was likely to last at least three days.

“We will take as much time as possible to see how many people we can save,” Deiner said at a news conference. “It’s very, very difficult when you’re working with concrete breakers and drills near people.”

Deiner said it would take most of Tuesday to rescue the 11 workers that rescue teams were in contact with. Some of them had their limbs trapped under concrete and could not move. Four of the workers were in the building’s former basement, Deiner said.

“Our biggest concern is hours of entrapment when parts of a person’s body are compressed,” Deiner said. “So you have to get them medical help. We called in our paramedics as quickly as possible.”

Deiner said it was possible there were more survivors deeper in the rubble and that a process of removing layers of concrete would begin after the 11 workers found were extracted.

More than 100 rescue workers and other emergency services worked throughout the night and used sniffer dogs to locate workers. Large cranes and other heavy lifting equipment were brought in to assist in the rescue effort, and high spotlights were erected to allow search and rescue personnel to work in the dark.

Deiner said a crucial part of the rescue operation was when they ordered everyone to remain calm and turn off the engines so they could look for survivors. Then they located the 11 workers, he said.

“We actually heard people through the rubble,” Deiner said.

Several local hospitals made room in their trauma departments in anticipation that more construction workers could be brought out alive. More than 50 emergency services were also brought in from other cities to help overnight, including a special team that deals with rescue operations in collapsed structures.

Family members and friends of the workers had gathered at nearby community offices and were being supported by social workers, the George community said.

Authorities began investigating the cause of the tragedy and police opened a criminal case, but there was no immediate information about why the building suddenly collapsed. CCTV footage from a nearby house showed the concrete structure and metal framework collapsing at 2.09pm on Monday, sending a cloud of dust rising over the area.

After the collapse, people poured out of other buildings, some of them screaming and shouting.

Western Cape premier Alan Winde said there would be investigations by both the provincial government and police.

Authorities declined to identify the construction company involved, but said that under city law, the private company’s engineers were responsible for the safety of the site until it was completed and then turned over to the city for inspection and clearance.

Winde said rescue efforts were a priority and the investigation would continue thereafter.

“Rescue personnel have been offered all necessary support to speed up their response. For now, officials are focused on saving lives. “This is our top priority at this stage,” said Winde.

The national government will be informed about the rescue operation, said Winde.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa released a statement expressing condolences to the families of the victims and also calling for investigations into the cause of the collapse.