Post date: Nov 19, 2013 6:43:55 PM
A half-built shopping mall collapses in the South African city of Durban, killing at least one and trapping 50 more under rubble, according to emergency services and the police.
DURBAN, TONGAAT, SOUTH AFRICA (NOVEMBER 19, 2013) (ETV) - At least one person was killed and up to 50 more were trapped under rubble on Tuesday (November 19) after a half-built shopping mall collapsed near the South African coastal city of Durban, emergency services and police said.
A further 26 people had been taken to hospital in the town of Tongaat, 30 km (20 miles) north of Durban, Chris Botha, a spokesman for the Netcare 911 emergency service, told Reuters.It was not yet clear what had caused the collapse of the three-storey building, which had been under construction for some time, residents told Reuters.
If safety regulations are found to have been breached, the accident could sour already fraught labour relations in South Africa's construction sector and might have ramifications for the ruling African National Congress as it moves towards an election next year.
Television footage showed police and rescue workers walking over large piles of rubble and twisted metal lying next to a railway track. Large parts of the building had completely given way.
Ambulances ferried the injured to nearby hospitals, which initiated full-scale disaster plans.
Jenny Meer, manager of the Mediclinic Victoria hospital in Tongaat said that the hospital had admitted eight patients and said there are no severe injuries.
Emergency services spokesman Botha said others were more seriously injured.
Durban and the surrounding province of KwaZulu-Natal is the home of PresidentJacob Zuma. The region has enjoyed a massive construction boom in the last few years, based in part on huge government investment in infrastructure improvements.
Zuma and the ruling African National Congress (ANC) face a general election in April or May next year.