Foto: George-munisipaliteit
WES-KAAP. – Die soek-en-reddingsoperasie by Victoriastraat 75, George, waar ‘n gebou op 6 Mei in duie gestort het, word na 260 uur gestaak. Die misdaadtoneel is nou vir ondersoek aan die polisie oorhandig.
Minister Anton Bredell, van die plaaslike regering se omgewingsake en ontwikkelingsbeplanning, sê die ramp sal vir die tragiese lewensverlies, sowel as die onbaatsugtige werk wat deur meer as 1 000 reddings-, ondersteunings- en vrywillige werkers gedoen is, onthou word.
Die Tuinroete-distrik JOC/George-munispaliteit se finale voorbereidings is klaar vir die polisie se ondersoek om voort te gaan. Die polisie sal die toneel weer aan die departement van arbeid en indiensneming oorhandig om hulle ondersoek te doen.
George-munisipaliteit sê van die geskatte 81 pesone op die perseel ten tyde van die ramp is 62 individue uit die puin verwyder.
Die dodetal bly onveranderd op 33, van wie twee persone nog formeel uitgeken moet word. Altesaam 29 persone het lewend uit die ramp gekom, van wie 10 steeds in die hospitaal is. Altesaam 19 individue is ontslaan. Van die slagoffers is SA-, Mosambiek-, Zimbabwe-, Malawi- en Lesotho-burgers, een persoon met permanente verblyf en twee persone van onbekende nasionaliteit. Een van die redes hoekom die getal slagoffers verskil, is oor name wat op kontrakteurslyste verskyn het. Sommige was nie die dag aan diens nie en sommige het voor nooddienste opgedaag het die toneel verlaat en nooit weer teruggegaan nie. Repatriasies is deur die konsulate van Zimbabwe, Mosambiek, Malawi en Lesotho onderneem.
Soos Nuusflits gister berig het, word die media steeds versoek om die slagoffers in die hospitaal hul privaatheid te gun. Die amptelike ondersoeke duur voort en spekulasie oor oorsake vir die ramp en die versprei van kwaadwillige gerugte of fopnuus moet weerhou word. Slagoffers sal vir ‘n minimum van ses maande deur verskeie dienste ondersteun word. Psigososiale ondersteuning vir alle reddings- en nie-reddingspersoneel sal beskikbaar wees.
Lees die volledige verklaring hier onder:
MEDIA STATEMENT: 15:00 Update on Building Collapse Site in George, Western Cape – South Africa
Issued by the Garden Route District JOC/George Municipality, 17 May 2024 at 15:30
The rescue and recovery operations for the building collapse site lasted 260 hours.
Search and rescue efforts are completed. Consequently, the site is classified as a crime scene and has officially been handed over for a formal investigation by the South African Police Service (SAPS) who will hand it over to the Department of Labour and Employment for their formal investigation to be conducted.
RESCUE OPERATIONS CONCLUDE WITH MANY SAVED, SOME DECEASED
The success of the rescue efforts undertaken after the building collapse, can be largely attributed to the critical actions taken during the first 48-hours. During this period, rescuers performed their operations with remarkable precision by ensuring victims were safely removed from the incident. This swift foundational phase was also carefully coordinated from a Joint Operations Centre on-site and a Multi-Agency Command Centre at the Garden Route District Municipality.
The Multi-Agency Command Centre can only account for those who were recovered during the search and rescue operations from the scene. This is why approximate totals were used as each minute unfolded.
Based on information received from the contractor on site, the South African Police Service (SAPS) and other emerging external sources (witness statements), the estimated number of individuals on site during the incident amounted to approximately 81. We are aware that as the incident unfolded the numbers fluctuated, however we can now officially confirm that with the rescue and recovery efforts now completed, only 62 individuals are accounted for.
The difference between the approximate of people on site and the official number now confirmed can be attributed to the following ABCs:
A) We found that some of the names on the contractor’s list were duplicated
B) Official investigations by SAPS confirmed that some of those on the contractor’s list were not at work on the day of the incident
C) CCTV clearly proved that some of those on the site left before the first responders reached the site and to date they have never reported their whereabouts.
Report history:
75 (approximate on-site) reported from 6 May 2024, 21:00 until 9 May 2024 at 06:00
81 (approximate on-site) reported from 9 May 2024, 6:30am until 16 May 2024 at 21:00
62 (confirmed on-site) reported on 17 May 2024, 09:00 at the end of the rescue and recovery operations.
The confirmed statistics for the incident are:
* Rescued and recovered: 62
* Deceased: 33
* Of the 33 deceased, two (2) still to be formally identified
* Hospitalised: 10
* Discharged: 19
List of nationalities present on the incident site:
* South Africa: 15
* Mozambique: 19
* Zimbabwe: 7
* Malawi: 13
* Lesotho: 5
* Permanent Residency Holder: 1
* Unknown nationality: 2
Repatriations are being undertaken by the Consulates of Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi and Lesotho.
Feature Photograph: South African Police Service
Additional Photo: Garden Route District Municipality
