JOHANNESBURG: The death toll from a building collapse in South Africa rose to 12 on Friday with 40 people still missing, four days after the structure crashed.
The tragic incident took place on Monday afternoon when an under-construction apartment block crumbled while a crew of 81 was working on site in the southern city of George.
According to authorities three more bodies had been pulled out of the rubble on Friday while twenty-eight people have been rescued alive.
As so many workers still missing, families and friends who are desperately waiting at the city hall near the construction site, comforted by social workers and religious leaders.
According to the authorities, many of the survivors had burn and head wounds while some suffered internal injuries.
Despite more than 90 hours passing since the building collapsed, Colin Deiner, head of rescue operations, said the work wouldn’t stop.
Addressing a news conference, he said they haven’t really drawn a line to say they are going into a recovery phase. “We know that time is against us”, he said.
Provincial premier Alan Winde said the process to identify the workers had been very tricky, adding that the police were using DNA testing, finger prints and photographs.
Construction plans for a 42-unit apartment block had been approved by the city authorities in July. The reasons for the collapse of the building are still not known.
