SOUTH AFRICA: Rescue efforts to locate survivors at collapsed mall in Tongaat, north of Durban in South Africa, being wound down as authorities say all people are now likely to be accounted for

Record ID: 216407

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: Rescue efforts to locate survivors at collapsed mall in Tongaat, north of Durban in South Africa, being wound down as authorities say all people are now likely to be accounted for
  • Date: 20th November 2013
  • Summary: TONGAAT AND KWAZULU NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA ( NOVEMBER 20, 2013) (REUTERS) WIDE PAN OF THE COLLAPSED SITE MORE OF THE COLLAPSED SITE MORE OF THE RUBBLE PEOPLE TAKING PICTURES OF THE SITE (SOUNDBITE) (English) METRO FIRE EMERGENCY SERVICES, ALEX GLOSTER, SAYING: "We has seven hotspots where the possibility existed of patients or either alive patients for rescue or the deceas
  • Embargoed: 5th December 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
  • Reuters ID: LVA4YRXDSCY70J7BNQZ90U0TKZIO
  • Story Text: Rescue workers wound down their search for survivors on Wednesday (November 20) after a soccer pitch-sized section of a half-built mall collapsed, killing at least one and injuring dozens.
    The three-storey building in the South African town of Tongaat, 30 km (20 miles) north of Durban, collapsed on Tuesday afternoon.
    Sniffer dogs had located one "hot spot" area where workers used hydraulic rescue tools to break through slabs of concrete and steel bars.

    "We has seven hotspots where the possibility existed of patients or either alive patients for rescue or the deceased patients for recovery of all seven were investigated one fatality was located and removed and is currently under the auspices of the State," said Alex Gloster of Metro Fire Emergency services.

    "This is an exclusion zone no persons will be admitted to enter, we are de-escalating the operations based on the information that we have at present that all persons are in probability accounted for," added Gloster.
    The owner of the site has been identified as a South African businessman of Indian descent who is well-known in Durban, the second-largest city in South Africa and home to a large ethnic Indian population.
    If safety regulations are found to have been flouted, the accident could hurt the ruling African National Congress (ANC) as it moves toward an election next year.
    Durban and the surrounding province of KwaZulu-Natal are also the home of President Jacob Zuma and the region has enjoyed a construction boom in the last few years, based in part on government investment in infrastructure improvements.
    Apart from one confirmed death, 29 people, two of them in critical condition, were rushed to nearby hospitals, which initiated full-scale disaster plans, health officials said.
    An eyewitness said it was traumatic to have watched the building collapse.

    "I saw the mall collapsing and i saw people flying over the mall and coming onto the rail track and it was really traumatising to see something like that. Lots of people were injured, the whole wall collapsed on them and there were lots of screams," said Jennifer Naidoo.
    A high death toll could also sour labour relations in the construction sector, which has an otherwise decent safety record due to the strength of South Africa's unions.
    The ANC is expected to win the election expected in April or May next year but its share of the vote is likely to drop as young post-apartheid South Africans with no knowledge of white-minority rule come of age.
    ENDS
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