Two rescue dogs, previously deployed during the George building collapse, were sent to the Redcliffe site.
Five people have now been confirmed dead following a devastating structural collapse at a temple construction site in Verulam, north of Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
Rescue and recovery operations continued throughout Saturday at the New Ahobilam Temple of Protection in Redcliffe, where a four-storey structure that was still under construction gave way on Friday, trapping several people beneath tons of rubble.
Emergency teams worked tirelessly at the scene as concerns mounted that more victims could still be buried under the debris.
Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) confirmed that four bodies were recovered during search operations, while a fifth victim was located but could not immediately be retrieved due to worsening weather conditions.
“At this stage, it cannot be confirmed whether additional individuals remain trapped beneath the rubble,” Rusa said.
eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba visited the site on Saturday to assess the situation after meeting the affected families.
Xaba confirmed that a multidisciplinary technical team has been appointed to determine the cause of the collapse.
According to the mayor, the team will gather all relevant evidence and prepare a preliminary report, which is expected to be made public next week.
Rescue dogs deployed to Verulam temple collapse site
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson also addressed the media at the scene, assuring the public that rescue teams will not leave until all those believed to be trapped have been accounted for.
He further noted unconfirmed reports suggesting that the owner of the temple, or someone closely associated with the owner, may be among the victims.
“I don’t have any more information on that,” Macpherson said.
The minister lamented the latest building collapse.
“What strikes me is that more people have died and people are not supposed to die on construction sites. Buildings are supposed to stand tall and supposed to be monuments to engineering excellence.
READ MORE: Death toll rises after temple collapse in Verulam, Macpherson confirms
“This obviously is the very opposite of that. I’m tired of hearing of people dying in building collapses,” he said in an apparent reference to the fatal incident in George, Western Cape that left more than 30 workers dead.
In an effort to strengthen search and rescue operations, two highly trained rescue dogs, previously deployed during the George building collapse, were sent to the Redcliffe site by the Western Cape government.
“They have extensive experience in this kind of tragedy and today we welcome this kind of collaboration,” the minister told the media.
Investigations
Macpherson emphasised that it remains too early to determine what caused the collapse, adding that the Council for the Built Environment (CBE) will take the lead in a formal investigation once rescue efforts conclude.
“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.”
The eThekwini Municipality confirmed on Friday that preliminary findings suggest the collapsed structure did not have approved building plans, rendering the construction illegal.
A 64-year-old temple devotee who visited the site suffered a fatal heart attack in a separate incident not directly linked to the collapse.
Emergency responders attempted to revive him, but he was declared dead at the scene.
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