Dozens are still missing after a building collapsed in South Africa on Monday. 7 confirmed deaths

By NQOBILE NTSHANGASE and GERALD IMRAY

GEORGE, South Africa (AP) — Nearly 40 construction workers were still missing Wednesday in the rubble of a building that collapsed in South Africa on Monday, as rescue teams searched for survivors for a third day in the rubble of the unfinished five-story apartment complex.

Seven workers were confirmed dead, while authorities in the town of George on South Africa’s southern coast released new information about the injuries. 16 of the 29 people rescued from the rubble were in critical condition in hospitals and another six had life-threatening injuries. They said 39 workers were still missing and buried under the rubble of concrete and mangled metal scaffolding.

The collapse of the building, which was still under construction, sparked a desperate rescue operation that brought in specialized disaster response teams from other cities to help. According to the community of George, a total of 75 construction workers were at the site when it collapsed.

More than 200 rescue workers continued to search for survivors using sniffer dogs and underground cameras. Cranes and other heavy lifting equipment were used to lift some of the huge concrete slabs that fell on workers, while rescuers formed lines to clear the smaller debris by hand.

Rescuers said some of the survivors used their cellphones while trapped under the rubble to contact family members and that helped rescuers find them.

There were cheers and applause as some survivors were brought out Tuesday evening.

The George community continued to call for donations of water, energy drinks and food for emergency personnel who had been working shifts for more than 40 hours. The Western Cape provincial government has dispatched emergency teams from Cape Town and other cities to help with the rescue effort, which authorities said was expected to last at least until Friday.

George is a town of around 150,000 residents on South Africa’s scenic Garden Route and is best known as a holiday and golf destination.

Authorities have announced multiple investigations into the cause of the building collapse, including by police, the provincial government and the national labor ministry.

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Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa.

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AP Africa News: https://apnews.com/hub/africa