George building collapse: security officials discover hand in rubble

Security officials dispatched to the site where debris of the collapsed George building is kept have discovered a hand.

Western Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Christopher Spies told The Citizen that the security officials made the shocking discovery on Friday.

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“On Friday, police were dispatched to the site where debris of the collapsed building are still kept,” said Spies.

“On arrival, they found a hand which was discovered by security personnel deployed at the site.

“The human remains was recovered and sent to the SAPS laboratory for forensic analysis in an effort to determine the origin and whether it could be linked to a victim who was rescued during the search and rescue operation.”

This discovery forms part of the ongoing police investigation.

Police have not found any more bodies.

George building collapse site a crime scene

The George Municipality announced last week that search and rescue efforts were completed after the building collapsed with construction workers on site.

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The site is now classified as a crime scene. It has officially been handed over for a formal investigation by the SAPS.

The SAPS will then hand it over to the Department of Labour and Employment for its investigation to be conducted.

The municipality confirmed that with the rescue and recovery efforts completed, only 62 individuals were accounted for.

CCTV also showed that some of the workers on the site left before the first responders reached the site. To date, they have never reported their whereabouts.

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Of the 62 rescued and recovered workers, 34 were confirmed deceased.

Nine are still hospitalised.

According to the municipality, 15 workers are South Africans, 19 Mozambicans, seven Zimbabweans, 13 Malawians, five Basotho, one permanent residency holder, and two of unknown nationalities.

Repatriations are being undertaken by the consulates of Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, and Lesotho.

“The success of the rescue efforts undertaken after the building collapse can be largely attributed to the critical actions taken during the first 48 hours,” said the George Municipality.

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