Emergency services continue for the fifth day in rescue operations. Photo: Ayanda Ndamane/ Independent Newspapers
The George Municipality on Friday, confirmed a ninth person has died since the tragic incident.
In an update given on Friday, the municipality said a construction worker who was retrieved from the rubble and was in critical condition had died.
The rescue operation has reached 89 hours.
A total of 81 workers were on site at the time of the incident, so far 37 workers have been retrieved, nine are dead, 15 are critical, six face life-threatening injuries, and seven suffered minor injuries.
There are still 44 workers unaccounted for.
The municipality also had heavy-earth machinery brought in to assist operations.
“Big earth-moving machinery arrived last night which includes two five-ton excavators, three 20-ton excavators with hammers and buckets, and a three-cube front-end loader, as well as trucks for extraction and clearing,” George Municipality spokesperson, Chantel Edwards said.
“The rescue operation continues to be a multi-agency approach, involving local excavation contractors and the District Roads Engineer,” she said.
“Despite the introduction of large machinery, rescue techniques will still be applied meticulously and sensitively by the highly skilled and experienced disaster management team.”
The municipality also urged members of the public to avoid the surrounding areas of the incident site on Victoria Street as heavy vehicles will be in constant movement assisting in the removal of the rubble.
A total of 3,000 cubic tonnes of concrete must be removed from the site.
Executive Mayor, Leon van Wyk expressed his appreciation for the work done by the emergency teams so far.
He commended rescue workers and all involved stakeholders, organisations, the media, and the public stating that their efforts, along with the state-of-the-art equipment brought in, have resulted in a world-class rescue effort.
IOL