5 workers died after building collapsed in South Africa: NPR

The scene of a collapsed building in George, South Africa, on Tuesday.

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The scene of a collapsed building in George, South Africa, on Tuesday.

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CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Rescue teams searched through the night for dozens of construction workers who were buried under concrete rubble for more than 12 hours after a multistory apartment complex under construction collapsed in a coastal town in South Africa.

Authorities said early Tuesday that the death toll had risen to five, while 49 workers remained missing in the shattered rubble of the building that collapsed Monday afternoon. Authorities said another 21 workers were rescued from the rubble and taken to various hospitals, with at least 11 of them suffering serious injuries.

The collapse occurred in the town of George, about 400 kilometers east of Cape Town on South Africa’s southern coast.

More than 100 emergency services and other responders were at the scene, using sniffer dogs to locate the workers, some of whom were feared to be buried under huge concrete slabs that fell on them as the five-story building collapsed.

To assist in the rescue effort, large cranes and other heavy lifting equipment were brought to the site and tall floodlights were erected to allow search and rescue personnel to work throughout the night.

There were 75 workers at the site when the building collapsed, George Township said. It said three rescue teams were deployed at various locations around the collapsed building, where they said construction workers were likely to be.

Family members and friends of the workers gathered at nearby community offices.

“Our thoughts are with the families and all those affected who continue to wait for news of their loved ones,” said George Executive Mayor Leon Van Wyk.

The scene of a collapsed building in George, South Africa, on Tuesday.

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The scene of a collapsed building in George, South Africa, on Tuesday.

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Authorities were investigating the cause of the tragedy and police opened a 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 around it collapsed at 2.09pm on Monday afternoon, sending a cloud of dust rising over the area.

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

Marco Ferreira, a local representative of the non-governmental organization Gift of the Givers, was on site on Monday with a team to offer support, food and drink to the rescuers. Gift of the Givers is a charity that frequently assists with disasters in South Africa. Three sniffer dogs and handlers were also made available to help with the search, Ferreira said.

“At this point the situation is still largely in the rescue stage,” Ferreira told news channel eNCA TV. “We don’t know, it will probably go on for days. There are some cranes to help lift some concrete. But it’s not a pretty sight.”

The Western Cape provincial government sent the head of its disaster response unit from Cape Town to George to oversee the rescue operation, and Western Cape Premier Alan Winde, the head of the provincial government, was also on site.

Winde said the provincial government has also provided additional resources to support.

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

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