A four-storey temple under construction in Verulam, north of Durban, collapsed on Friday, leaving several workers trapped beneath large sections of concrete and steel.
Rescue teams rushed to the Redcliffe site and confirmed that faint communication had been established with individuals believed to be buried under the debris. Emergency crews spent the afternoon assessing the safest way to reach them, describing the operation as highly complex due to the structure’s instability.
Eight workers were transported to hospital with injuries, while search-and-rescue teams continue efforts to locate those still missing.
Reaction Unit South Africa spokesperson Prem Balram said responders arrived to a scene of extensive devastation. “We found that four levels of a building had collapsed while it was under construction onto an existing temple,” he explained.
He added that approximately eight people were treated and taken to hospital, and that “possibly six not confirmed were trapped or under the rubble” as rescue operations intensified.