The site where the Neo Victoria apartment collapsed in George on May 6 is now in the hands of the police and the Department of Labour.

Anton Bredell, Western Cape MEC for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, briefed the media this morning about the status of the recovery work on the site. A total of 62 workers are accounted for.

Bredell said it is highly possible that some of the workers who had been taken into account as part of the official figure of 81, ran away when the building started to collapse.

He said they know for a fact that some of the workers who had been rescued with minor injuries, took off when they had the chance. “One must remember that many of these workers were illegally working on the site,” he said.

All rescue and recovery work has stopped and currently the focus is on stabilising a brick wall close to an adjacent property, and removing the last building materials.

For residents living in the area there will be some relief since the night shifts will stop, with work only being done during office hours.