At least six dead and dozens missing when a multi-story building collapses in South Africa

CNN
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At least six people have died and 48 are still missing after a multi-story building collapsed in the South African city of George on Monday afternoon, officials said Tuesday.

Rescue missions are continuing and 26 people have been pulled from the rubble since the building collapsed in the Western Cape province at around 2 p.m. local time (8 a.m. ET) on Monday, the municipality of George said in a statement.

“Three teams of emergency responders are currently working on three different areas within the site of the collapsed building,” the statement said.

The rescue operation is estimated to take four to five days, with 111 rescue workers on site, the Western Cape government said on Tuesday.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa offered his condolences in a statement from his office on Tuesday, saying: “The president’s thoughts are with the families who lost loved ones, as well as the families of almost 50 people trapped in the rubble are.”

Ramaphosa also called for an investigation into how the incident occurred in order to “silence the community and prevent a repeat of this disaster.” the statement says.