The trapped tiler who made contact with rescuers at the George building disaster site earlier today has been rescued.

When contact was first made, the man told rescue workers that he had a weight on his legs, and two surgeons were put on standby, but their immediate presence was not needed. Colin Deiner, the head of Western Cape disaster services, said shortly after the rescue that ‘he got out quite easily’.

Diener said they managed to free the man two hours faster than anticipated. He added that while the miracle survivor’s medical status was yet to be confirmed, he was alert when pulled from the rubble. 

George Herald reports that he was taken away by ambulance amid shouts of joy, and that hopes of further rescues have been ignited.

A camera crew has been sent down to where the tiler was trapped, to see if there are other survivors.

In a video interview, MMC for community safety Marais Kruger called the development ‘unbelievable’. He said the man had been stabilised and safely transported to hospital. “I cannot believe it,” he said.

Watch: Colin Deiner, head of Western Cape disaster services speaks to the media following the rescue. Video: Alida de Beer

Deiner said that as far as he is aware ‘there have never been so many live rescues on a rescue operation in South Africa’.

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said in an X post at 12:25: “Our survivor has been successfully extracted from the debris after more than 116 hours. This is nothing short of a miracle – thank you to all the search and rescue teams!”

Watch: Video by Alida De Beer: