Race against clock to find people trapped in George building collapse
The Western Cape Premier says rescue teams are racing against the clock to save dozens of people trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building in George.
Alan Winde added they've also launched an investigation into yesterday's disaster.
The death toll stands at 5.
ALSO READ: 5 dead, 49 missing in George building collapse
Twenty-one people were evacuated from the construction site of the multi-storey structure. Winde says the search continues for 49 people still trapped:
"We have all sorts of emergency personnel who have come from across the province and all over the country. We have put in place support from engineering, and we are already getting an investigation going.
“We have to make sure that while this is happening, we have specialist engineers on site because we have to find out why and how it happened.
“The building goes through planning processes at the municipality level, and all those processes."
It's understood that 75 construction workers were on-site at the time of the crash.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has conveyed his condolences to the families of those who've died.
"The president’s thoughts are with the families of close to 50 people who are trapped in the rubble,” said his spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya.
“President Ramaphosa wishes the rescue teams the best as they go about their operations and says the investigation into the cause of the incident must aim to bring closure to the community and prevent a repeat of this disaster."
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