Search and rescue operations concluded at George building collapse site
Updated | By Mmangaliso Khumalo
The rescue and recovery mission at the site of the collapsed building in George has been completed.

The construction site was handed over to police for investigations on Friday.
The partially built structure caved in last Monday, claiming the lives of 33 people.
Western Cape MEC for Local Development Anton Bredell said out of 29 people who managed to escape alive, ten are still in hospital, and 19 others have either been discharged or received on-site medical treatment.
"The search and rescue team has done brilliant work. They have rescued 34 people. That is a 54.8% rescue rate; if you compare this to any earthquake site to world standards, then you're lucky if you get 10% out, so we are very proud of the search and rescue team.”
Bredell said the status of the recovery of workers has been revised once again- when the building collapsed, the disaster management was looking for 75 people, it was then revised to 81.
To date, a total of 62 workers are accounted for.
Bredell says it is highly possible that some workers ran away when the building started to collapse.
"The figures were all over the place. We acknowledge that it's not our fault. It's the contractor. We struggled to get the names because people were known by nicknames and a very difficult one. We had a conversation with the embassy, and people changed names quite often.
"We have been honest with the figures. Currently, I am pleased that we do not look for 19 bodies anymore because the site is empty, but we have done our jobs. So it’s actually good news that we have got the figure wrong of 81 and stand at 62 people.
"It's still heartbreaking for the 33 families who lost their loved ones, but from a search and rescue perspective, we are just glad that we are just glad that we don't look for another 19 bodies.”
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