More survivors pulled from building

Rescue teams searching for dozens of construction workers missing after an apartment complex collapsed in South Africa brought out more survivors yesterday as they entered a second night of desperate work to find anyone alive in the wreckage. At least seven people have been confirmed dead.

Authorities said 26 workers had now been rescued from the site where the five-storey building collapsed on Tuesday while under construction in George, about 400 kilometres east of Cape Town on South Africa’s south coast. An additional 42 people are believed to be buried in the debris of concrete and metal scaffolding.

Rescuers were hopeful of more people being found alive after saying earlier that they had made contact with at least 11 workers trapped in the rubble and were communicating with them.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many of those had been rescued but five survivors were brought out yesterday, adding to the 21 found on Tuesday, according to a count provided by city authorities.

There were 75 construction workers on the site when the building collapsed.

Rescuers erupted in applause as one of the survivors was brought to the surface.

They yelled at the man to “stay with us!” as he was pulled out of a gap in the wreckage and put on a stretcher. They then shouted to him, “you are outside now!”