Ramaphosa sends message to families of George building collapse victims

President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent his condolences to the families of victims of the George building collapse that claimed at least five lives.

His spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, said Ramaphosa's thoughts were with the families whose loved ones are trapped inside the rubble.

“President Ramaphosa wishes rescue teams the best as they go about their operations and says investigations into the cause of the incident must aim to bring closure to the communities and prevent a repeat of the disaster,” he said.

The death toll rose to five after a building under construction in George collapsed on Monday afternoon, with 49 people still unaccounted for.

In one of several media statements issued on Tuesday morning by the George municipality, it said at least 25 people had been extracted from the rubble and 49 remained unaccounted for.

The building, believed to have been a block of flats under construction in Victoria Street, collapsed at about 2pm on Monday.

At the time, about 75 construction workers were on site.

“George municipality confirms that as of 7.15am on May 7 a total of five patients have been declared deceased,” the municipality said.

The building is situated adjacent to the main offices of the George local municipality on York Street.

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