Share

Search for bodies continues at collapsed house

Johannesburg - Sniffer dogs were being used to search for bodies in the rubble at a house which collapsed at the Meyersdal Eco Estate in Alberton, south-east of Johannesburg, on Monday.

"In the beginning we counted five bodies and then we found another three," Ekurhuleni emergency services spokesperson William Ntladi said.

Subsequently another body was found, bringing the total to nine. Eight injured people were taken to hospital.

A side of the house collapsed while builders were working on it on Monday morning.

Ntladi said there were two contractors on site.

One said there were 24 builders, but emergency services were still trying to get information from the other contractor.

"The search is still continuing. We are trying to find out how many people are missing. Until we get the number of people who were on site we will continue to search," he said.

There were conflicting reports of how many people had been injured and were still missing.

Earlier, Netcare 911 said nine people had been injured. ER24 paramedics said two of the 27 workers who had been on the site were still missing.

The labour department said it had sent inspectors to investigate the building collapse. They would issue a preliminary report on the cause of the accident.

The estate confirmed the accident.

"Today, at approximately 10:30, a structure at the house of one of our residents which was undergoing alterations collapsed," it said in a statement.

"Emergency services are still involved in rescue operations and the families of the affected workers have yet to be informed."

At the entrance to the upmarket estate non-residents were questioned about their reasons for being there before they were allowed access.

Some were turned away.

Two giraffes were removed from the estate last month. They were being transported in a truck on the N1 highway when one of them hit its head on a bridge and died.

Last week, the Gauteng agriculture department said the estate was being investigated over whether it had the correct permits to bring in and keep giraffes.

- Are you there? Send us your eyewitness accounts and photos.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1118 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1283 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 1977 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.9%
Rand - Pound
24.10
-0.9%
Rand - Euro
20.59
-0.7%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.42
-0.9%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.8%
Platinum
915.75
-0.8%
Palladium
1,028.36
-3.5%
Gold
2,159.96
+0.2%
Silver
25.03
-0.6%
Brent Crude
85.34
-0.1%
Top 40
66,252
0.0%
All Share
72,431
0.0%
Resource 10
53,317
0.0%
Industrial 25
100,473
0.0%
Financial 15
16,622
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE