WESTERN CAPE, South Africa
A rescue operation is continuing in South Africa after a five-storey building under construction collapsed, killing two people and leaving another 53 trapped.
Officials in the city of
George, Western Cape province, say 22 people have been pulled from the wreckage
and taken to hospital.
A team of 75 crew were on the
site when the building collapsed on Monday.
The cause of the incident in
the coastal city is being investigated.
The building crumbled at 14:09
local time (12:09 GMT), Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said.
"Seventy-five members of
construction crew have been confirmed on site at that time of the
incident," he added.
Emergency services were seen
rushing to the scene to search for survivors in the city 450km (279 miles) east
of Cape Town.
Two of the 22 people pulled
from the wreckage later died of their injuries.
"Our thoughts are with
the families and all those affected who continue to wait for word of their
loved ones," said George Mayor Ald Van Wyk.
The officials say they have
been able to establish contact with some of those trapped, and heavy lifting
equipment and sniffer dogs have been brought in to assist the operation.
Photos have emerged showing a
completely flattened construction site, with parts of the building's roof
laying atop the rubble.
"I saw one guy was
working and then 'boom' and I saw the whole building collapsed... I'm also
traumatised. It is very sad," local councillor Theresa Jeyi was quoted as
saying by Reuters news agency.
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