As the rescue and recovery efforts enter day seven at the site of the collapsed building at 75 Victoria Street in George, operations still continue with new vigour after the successful rescue of Mr Gabriel Guambe on Saturday morning.
Unfortunately, the death toll now stands at 17.
As of 12 pm on May 12, 2024, marking the 141st hour of operations, the confirmed statistics are as follows:
- Total individuals on-site during the incident: 81
- Rescued and recovered: 45
- Of which deceased: 17
- Currently hospitalised: 14
- Unaccounted for: 35
On Monday the apartment building that was under construction collapsed and trapped 81 workers.
Guambe was miraculously located by the rescue team who heard sounds from under the debris. He was eventually pulled out hours after being discovered.
“Mr. Guambe is recovering well... having remarkably sustained only minor injuries," authorities said in a statement, adding that he was in “good spirits”.
The Joint District Operations Centre adheres to a stringent double verification protocol to ensure the accuracy of the reported numbers.
This is done in close collaboration with recovery teams, hospitals, and forensic services.
The National Minister of Police, Mr Bheki Cele, is currently visiting the site and will be briefing the media later today.
We urgently call for professional psychosocial support practitioners proficient in Chewa, Portuguese, and Shona languages to assist survivors and their families.
Interested practitioners can contact Kholiswa Jobela at 078 210 5972 or Apolus Swart at 061 504 4205.
IOL