‘Nothing short of a miracle’: Survivor rescued five days after South Africa building collapse

Rescuers and onlookers clapped and cheered, on Saturday (May 11) as a survivor was rescued five days after being buried underneath the rubble of a building which collapsed in the South African city of George.

‘Nothing short of a miracle’

In a clip of the rescue operation posted by Western Cape Premier Alan Winde on X, rescuers and onlookers can be heard applauding as a man who survived under the rubble for 116 hours is being pulled out.

“Our survivor has been successfully extracted from the debris after more than 116 hours. This is nothing short of a miracle - thank you to all the search and rescue teams!,” Winde said.

Our survivor has been successfully extracted from the debris after more than 116 hours. This is nothing short of a miracle - thank you to all the search and rescue teams! 🥺🙏✨#GeorgeBuildingCollapse pic.twitter.com/VH3RXuIkRK — Premier Alan Winde (@alanwinde) May 11, 2024

“In a possible first in South African rescue history, the trapped worker was found alive 116 hours after the collapse on Monday (May 6),” said the Western Cape premier, in a statement before the man was rescued.

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The rescue team had already established contact with the person before pulling him out of the rubble, said the local official. He also thanked the rescue teams and volunteers.

“Thank you to the rescue teams and volunteers who have been working so hard these last 4-5 days to rescue those trapped. We never gave up hope and today I cannot express the extent of my relief and joy. Thank you to all the teams – you are true heroes. I am proud of you,” Winde added.

Death toll rises to 13

Out of the 81 workers who were present on the site when the building collapsed, 13 were confirmed dead, 29 were alive and 39 were still unaccounted for, reported Reuters citing local officials.

Rescuers were seen using cranes, drills and even their bare hands as they tried to reach those trapped under the rubble after the collapse on Monday.

According to authorities, many survivors sustained burns and head injuries while some suffered internal injuries.

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“We haven’t really drawn a line to say we are going into a recovery phase, we still have a few voids to search through,” said Colin Deiner, head of rescue operations after more than 90 hours of the collapse.

He added, “We know that time is against us”. The police were using fingerprints, DNA testing and photographs, said the head of rescue operations.

The incident took place in the country’s coastal city of George, on Monday afternoon around 2:09 pm (local time) when an under-construction five-storey building came crashing down for reasons which are not known as of yet.

(With inputs from agencies)