South Africa ends rescue efforts at collapsed building

Rescue and recovery work was concluded Friday (May. 17) at the site of a building collapse in George, South Africa.

After 12 days of efforts, 33 people are confirmed dead and 19 still unaccounted for.

The end of the exhaustive rescue operation was announced on Friday by the municipality which is located in the Western Cape province.

The provincial Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs, and Development Planning said Friday 62 people were on the building site when the collapse occurred on May 6.

“I am very happy that we could revise the number of people on site down from 81 to 62, as it means fewer families are grieving today,” Anton Bredell stated.

10 people are still in hospital, and 19 people have either been discharged or received on site medical treatment, he added.

Of the 34 people successfully rescued, 5 succumbed to their injuries in hospital.

Many of the victims were foreign workers from countries including Zimbabwe and Malawi.

The building will now be handed over to the national department of employment and labor to conduct an investigation into the collapse.

The rescue operation saw more than 6,000 tons of rubble removed while rescue workers.

The five-story apartment complex on the country's south coast was due to be completed in July or August.