George building disaster: Death toll rises to 9 as hospitalised victim passes away

The Joint Operational Centre has confirmed that another victim who was hospitalised has passed away. This brings the death toll to 9 of the 37 people retrieved, with 44 people still unaccounted for.

As the rescue operation reaches 88 hours, the highly skilled rescue teams are still applying meticulous rescue techniques.

Meanwhile, big earth-moving machinery has arrived on scene last night.

According to the municipality, this includes two five (5) ton excavators, three (3) 20-ton excavators with hammers and buckets, and a three (3) cube front-end loader, as well as trucks for extraction and clearing.

In a statement issued by the George Municipality says, “The rescue operation continues to be a multi-agency approach, involving local excavation contractors and the District Roads Engineer. Despite the introduction of large machinery, rescue techniques will still be applied meticulously and sensitively by the highly skilled and experienced disaster management team.”