S.Africa rescuers say in contact with 11 people in collapsed building

Rescuers in South Africa said Tuesday they
had made contact with 11 people trapped in the rubble of a building under
construction that collapsed in the coastal city of George, killing five and
leaving around 50 missing.

City authorities say a construction crew of 75 people was at the site when
the five-storey building collapsed on Monday for still undetermined reasons.

“We are in contact with 11 people, four of them are trapped in a basement,”
Colin Deiner, chief director for disaster management, told a news conference.

The rescuers’ priority is to get all those still trapped out which could take
much of the day, he added.

They will then begin a process of lifting the different floors off each
other, he said.

“There is a possibility people could still be alive,” Deiner said.

The work is expected to continue until the weekend, he added.

Twenty-six people have been rescued from the debris, five of whom have died,
municipal authorities have previously said, adding that 49 others were still
unaccounted for. (BSS/AFP)