A building collapse in Booysens Reserve, Johannesburg on Monday has resulted in the death of six workers.
Image: Itumeleng English/Independetn Newspapers
Six people died when a building collapsed at the Amethyst Business Park in Booysens Reserve, Johannesburg on Monday.
Emergency teams worked tirelessly to rescue two people still trapped beneath the rubble, while one person was rescued and transported to hospital. Reports indicate that at least twelve people were in the building when it collapsed, with rescue workers searching for three others who were unaccounted for.
A devastated employee, who requested anonymity, shared the trauma of the day, recounting, “We were working on reinforcing the structure when all of a sudden it just collapsed. This resulted in some of my colleagues being trapped in the rubble.”
Speaking to the press, another devasted worker Mhlanguli Ngulube, said that some of those trapped, were not just colleagues but dear friends.
“We started working from upstairs. Then we moved to the bottom slab realising that it needed to be done,” he said.
Johannesburg MMC for Public Safety, Dr Mgcini Tshwaku, said the city would assess the structural and building requirements at the site of the collapse.
“We are going to check the building plans through a professional structural engineer as these buildings must be approved,” Tshwaku said.
A city official said that emergency services are working around the clock to rescue those still trapped, adding praise for the rapid response from both public and private emergency services, commending paramedics, firefighters and rescue teams for their professionalism in the face of adversity.
siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za