The police in KwaZulu-Natal have started investigations into the circumstances that led to the collapse of a wall which fell on five workers at a construction site in Zen Drive, Ballito, yesterday morning.

“Information at police disposal at this stage indicates that fourteen construction workers were at the bottom of the escarpment, building a gabion retaining wall when the wall collapsed and buried five workers underneath,” said police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda in a media statement.

Rescue efforts lasted several hours and were complicated due to further collapses of the embankment.

All five men were eventually removed from the soil and rubble they were buried in.

Four of the men were certified dead on the scene, said Netshiunda.

“One worker was found alive, approximately six hours after the collapse of the wall. Inquest dockets have been opened for investigation.”

According to Netshiunda, the circumstances that led to the collapse of the wall also form part of police investigations.

#sapsKZN Police in KwaZulu-Natal have commenced investigations into the circumstances that led to the collapse of a wall which fell on five construction workers at a construction site on Zen Drive in Ballito, The SAPS #SearchAndRescue team, working with other private entities… pic.twitter.com/TyQP6OgJAV

— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) May 18, 2024

Yesterday, Theresa van den Berg from IPSS Rescue said in an interview with North Coast Courier that an emergency call was received from neighbours shortly after the collapse.

“Workers were busy working on the construction site when a wall behind it collapsed. We were on the scene very quickly but they were already under the whole lot of sand that is here.”

According to Van den Berg the embankment above the construction site was very unstable which complicated rescue efforts.

At one stage paramedics were seen taking oxygen into a pit created by a TLB that was used to find the construction workers who were buried in soil, to assist the surviving worker.