People are praying for a miracle after contact was made with a man trapped in the building rubble of the George disaster site – over 116 hours after the multi-storey building imploded on Monday.

Head of Western Cape Disaster Management Colin Deiner says they are trying to get water to the man as soon as possible.

They found him while working their way through the layers of concrete, and think he was on the third floor when the building collapsed.

The man, a tiler, says he has a weight on his legs.

This is a concern and two surgeons have been brought in.

Premier Alan Winde says it’s a miracle. At the time it was 116 hours after the collapse.

Watch: Premier Alan Winde address the media regarding the rescue mission. Video: Alida De Beer.

13 dead

The official death toll of the George tragedy is 13, not 14 as previously communicated by Western Cape Minister of Local Government Anton Bredell.

Last night, George Herald published the death toll as 14, as communicated by Bredell.

However, official communication this morning is that 13 people have died.

Bredell explained that there’s a double verification process – on-site and at the mortuary – before the official figure is communicated to the disaster management centre that releases the official figure.

As of 09:00 this morning, the operation had been ongoing for 115 hours.

At the time of publishing:

• Estimated individuals on-site at the time of the collapse: 81
• Total people removed from the rubble: 41
• People deceased: 13
• People unaccounted for: 40
• People currently in hospital: 13