Five Workers Rescued Alive After Building Collapse In Durban CBD

Five people have been accounted for after a building collapsed in the Durban CBD on Saturday morning.

The single-storey structure in Union Lane reportedly collapsed at about 11am while renovation work was underway.

Authorities said the cause of the collapse is still under investigation.

Rescue Teams Pull Survivors From Rubble

Garrith Jamieson, director of ALS Paramedics, said five people were inside the building when it came down.

According to Jamieson, one person managed to escape shortly after the collapse, while four others became trapped beneath the rubble.

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Emergency teams from the South African Police Service, Metro Police Search and Rescue, the eThekwini Fire Department and ALS Paramedics responded to the scene.

“The metro guys managed to rescue three of the victims quite quickly. All of them were hurt, ranging from minor injuries to critical. All of them were taken to hospital,” Jamieson said.

Final Survivor Pulled Out From Building After Lengthy Rescue Effort

Jamieson said the last trapped victim was buried deep beneath the debris, forcing rescue teams to stabilise the site before attempting extraction.

“We had to wait for heavy-duty rescue equipment to arrive, and as soon as we got it, the rescuers were able to go in and pull the trapped survivor out. That took an hour-and-a-half,” he said.

Authorities confirmed that all people believed to have been inside the building have now been accounted for.

No fatalities have been reported.