The minister extended his condolences to the families affected by the tragedy.
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean MacPherson has confirmed that the death toll has risen following the collapse of a temple under construction in Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
The four-storey structure at the New Ahobilam Temple of Protection in Redcliff, north of Durban, collapsed on Friday afternoon.
Authorities initially confirmed one fatality, but the number has since increased as rescue operations continue.
Verulam temple collapse deaths increase
MacPherson visited the site on Saturday afternoon to assess the situation and receive updates from emergency teams working amid the rubble.
“We have been told that there are three confirmed deaths and the teams are currently trying to extract another deceased individual,” the minister told the media.
He said it remains unclear how many people may still be trapped beneath the debris.
“The reality is we don’t know how many people could possibly still be trapped and so that work will continue to be ongoing.
MacPherson said he briefed President Cyril Ramaphosa when the tragedy occurred on Friday and has since kept him updated, adding that he spoke to him again on Saturday.
“I’ll again be briefing the president later this afternoon on the events that have unfolded here today.”
The minister said rescue teams will continue their work despite the difficult and dangerous conditions at the site.
“Let me just say being up there, it is striking to see the amount of steel and concrete that is on that site and the work that the teams are doing to get to those that are under that rubble.
“Our primary focus remains the rescue of anyone who may be under that rubble and we obviously pray for miracles but we are realistic that that may not be possible.”
Cause unknown
MacPherson urged the public to refrain from speculating about the cause of the “tragedy”, saying a formal investigation will determine what went wrong.
“The cause will come and we will get to the bottom of what has gone on here and after consulting with stakeholders particularly in the province and the city [eThekwini], but it’s suffice to say that the Council for the Built Environment [CBE] will be leading an investigation at the appropriate time and into the cause of this.
“We already have some of our experts on the ground here, they’ve been already here at the site and we will be bringing more here in due course to ensure that we are able to get to understand what took place here.”
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He added that the structure remains unsafe.
“It is obviously quite structurally unsound up there at the moment and I do appreciate that in due course we will understand the full complexity and the full reasons for why this took place.”
The minister extended his condolences to the families affected by the incident.
“I want to reiterate our support for those families that have been affected by this tragedy.”
Man dies at collapse site
The eThekwini Municipality on Friday confirmed that preliminary findings indicate the collapsed structure did not have approved building plans in place, rendering it illegal.
Officials also indicated the matter will be referred to the Department of Employment and Labour for further investigation.
In a separate incident not linked to the structural collapse, a 64-year-old temple devotee who visited the site suffered a fatal heart attack.
He could not be resuscitated and was declared dead at the scene.
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