Update: 13 deceased with one body discovered

Breaking News Update Video

GEORGE NEWS AND VIDEOS - George Herald last night, 11 May published the death toll as standing at 14 as communicated by Western Cape Minister of Local Government Anton Bredell. Following official communication sent out this morning stating a toll of 13, the Minister this morning, 11 May explained that it is a double verification process - on-site and at the mortuary - before the official figure is communicated to the disaster management centre that releases the official figure.

He expressed condolences to the next of kin of those who have died.

On the fifth day of rescue operations at 75 Victoria Street, teams continue clearing rubble systematically in search of trapped individuals. As of 09:00, the operation has been ongoing for 115 hours.

The confirmed statistics:

Total estimated individuals on-site during the incident: 81
Patients rescued: 41
Patients deceased: 13
Patients currently hospitalized: 13
Unaccounted for: 40

The Joint District Operations Center implements a rigorous double-verification protocol for rescue and recovery reports. Collaboration with recovery teams, hospitals, and forensic services is ongoing. We seek psychosocial support practitioners fluent in Chewa, Portuguese, and Shona languages to aid survivors and families. Contact Kholiswa Jobela at 078 210 5972 or Apolus Swart at 061 504 4205. Further updates will be provided by 12:00 pm South African Time.

Previous article: 2 more bodies recovered from disaster site

Supplied video: George building collapse | Death toll increases to 13 (Video: enca.com)

Video: The Minister explains the double verification process - on-site and at the mortuary - before the official figure is communicated to the disaster management centre that releases the official figure. (Video: Alida De Beer).