A wall at a construction site in the area is believed to have collapsed and fallen onto a truck. Five other people were injured. Authorities are still conducting search and rescue operations. The cause of the collapse is being probed. Video: eNCA

JOHANNESBURG – At least three people have been killed after a building collapsed in Jacobs near the Bluff area in Durban.

A wall at a construction site in the area is believed to have collapsed and fallen onto a truck.

Five other people were rushed to hospital with one critically injured.

Authorities are still conducting search and rescue operations in the area.

The cause of the collapse is being probed. </s> Two people are trapped under a building that collapsed on a truck in Wentworth, south of Durban. (Rescue Care)

Investigations are underway after three people were killed when a two storey building, which was under construction, collapsed onto a truck carrying tiles in Jacobs, Durban.

Construction workers were busy at the site on Chamberlin Road around midday when tragedy struck.

"There were a few of them [construction workers] that were busy and others were at lunch. But it came down so quickly and many people got hurt. It was a sad scene. People were scared," an eyewitness that works near the building told News24 shortly after the collapse on Wednesday.

The man, who did not want to be identified, said panic ensued.

"Everyone was very stressed. When it ... happened, we hoped it was just small injuries, but it was bad."

Labour Department spokesperson Lungelo Mkamba told News24 that occupational safety and health inspectors from the department were on site.

"We have dispatched our team. The details surrounding what led to the collapse are unclear ... for now, that is all we can say."

Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said that the injured were between the ages of 35 and 40 years old.

"We are not sure what caused this, but the various departments and emergency services have been on site. Once we receive a detailed report, we can share more about what caused this tragedy."

EMS spokesperson Robert Mckenzie said paramedics treated five patients at the scene for injuries ranging from critical to serious.

"Emergency services are still at the scene. The exact reason and circumstances resulting in the collapse are not known at this stage and are being investigated by the relevant authorities."

Recovery efforts were expected to continue through most of Wednesday night after an industrial crane was brought to the site to remove parts of the collapsed wall and rubble.

A large crowd had gathered around the site after news of the accident spread on social media. Traffic in the area was also negatively affected as emergency services with specialised vehicles made their way to assist.

The families of the deceased are believed to be from outside South Africa.





The #DurbanBuildingCollapse appears to be an incomplete building under construction. People on the scene tell me construction workers were on site when it collapsed @TeamNews24 — Kaveel Singh (@kaveels) March 28, 2018

It appears that the wall fell on the back of the truck that's carrying tiles. @TeamNews24 pic.twitter.com/6F2YNNEE4d — Kaveel Singh (@kaveels) March 28, 2018

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- FOLLOW News24 on Twitter </s> Search and rescue operations were conducted on Wednesday at the site of a building collapse near the Bluff area in Durban. Photo: Twitter / @SAPoliceService

DURBAN - Investigations are underway after at least three people were killed during a building collapse near the Bluff area in Durban.

 

 A wall at a construction site came down and fell onto a nearby truck.

Five people were seriously injured when the structure collapsed, paramedics said earlier.

The eThekwini Municipality said four concrete slabs (11m high and weighing 14 tons) collapsed at around 1pm, falling on top of workers on site.

Mayor Zandile Gumede expressed her condolences to the families of the workers who lost their lives during this tragic incident.

She also wished the five workers who have been hospitalised a speedy recovery.

“The sudden loss of lives of our people is indeed a sad occasion.

"A thorough investigation into the cause of the incident will be conducted," said Gumede. </s> Durban - Questions will be raised about the quality of work on a building after three men died at a construction site in the south of Durban yesterday.

The scene in Chamberlain Road, Jacobs, immediately brought back memories of the Tongaat Mall disaster in November 2013, where two workers were killed and 29 were injured.

On Thursday police were expected to contact families to identify the bodies of the victims.

Emergency Medical Services spokesperson Robert Mckenzie said construction workers were working at the site when a concrete structure collapsed. One concrete slab section collapsed on to the road and on to the trailer of a truck.

“Rescuers at the scene say that three people died. Five patients were treated for serious injuries and taken to hospital,” Mckenzie said.

The name of the contractor has not been revealed to the media. The construction company had been building a double-storey structure that could have been used as a warehouse or an office. The side of the concrete structure had gone up, with only the roof left to be completed. It is alleged that a crane hoisting a four-ton beam, which it was slotting on to the roof, slammed into the building.

It is alleged that a person directing the crane driver did not have a clear line of communication, or did not give the correct hand signal, causing the beam to slam into the wall. This caused the side slabs of concrete to fall on either side. These walls were allegedly held up by small brackets, which were exposed when it collapsed.

Witnesses said they heard bangs, a crashing noise and then saw dust hanging over the site. Construction workers ran out into the road.

An articulated truck and trailer, not involved with the construction, was parked on the roadside. One portion of a concrete slab fell on to the the truck’s trailer, the road and the brick boundary wall of the property. The truck was badly damaged but the driver was unharmed.

The side slab fell on to the double-storey building next door, damaging the boundary wall, the stairwell and top section of the building. Two other slabs fell into the property, crushing the crane cabin in the fall. The bodies were found under the slabs near the crane cabin.

Department of Labour spokesperson Teboho Thejane said occupational health and safety inspectors were conducting their own investigation.

“If the employer is found to be negligent and flouted any aspect of the Occupational Health and Safety Act or its regulations, a recommendation to prosecute will be made to the National Prosecuting Authority,” Thejane said.

Mayor Zandile Gumede said four concrete slabs (11m high and weighing 14 tons) collapsed at about 1pm, falling on the workers. Gumede said the cause of the collapse was not yet known but investigations would be conducted. “The sudden loss of lives of our people is indeed sad,” she said. </s> Durban - Two people have died after being trapped under a building that collapsed on a truck in the Wentworth area, south of Durban, paramedic services have said on Wednesday.

The two were construction workers at the site, Rescue Care spokesperson Garrith Jamieson said.

Five others were injured after the building on Chamberblin Road collapsed.

"Patients are currently being treated by advanced life support paramedics," he said.

The road is currently closed off.

KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter. </s> A crane was used to lift the slabs and recover the bodies. Six people who were injured in the incident remain in a critical condition in hospital in Durban.

DURBAN - The bodies of three construction workers who were trapped under the rubble in Wentworth have now been extracted six hours after a wall collapsed.

Earlier EWN reported that three people have been killed in the incident in Durban.

Six people who were injured in the incident remain in a critical condition in hospital in Durban.

A crane was used to lift the slabs and recover the bodies.

The police's Thembeka Mbele said: “Three bodies have been extracted and they were taken by the mortuary van to the mortuary. The Labour Department, as well as the disaster management with the Durban search and rescue, have been assisting each other and other stakeholders. So, for now, the dog unit is just checking if there are no other bodies underneath the truck.”

It's understood the building caved in at around 1 o’ clock, trapping the three workers. </s> JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A South African official says at least three students are dead after a walkway collapsed at a school outside Johannesburg.

Panyaza Lesufi, the head of education for Gauteng province, tweeted that “scores” are still trapped in the rubble on Friday morning at Hoerskool Driehoek school in Vanderbijlpark.

It is not immediately clear what caused the collapse.

Emergency services provider Netcare911 says at least four people may have died and at least five people are critically injured. </s> At least three students have died and scores are trapped in rubble after a walkway collapsed at a school near Johannesburg, South African officials have said.

Panyaza Lesufi, the head of education for Gauteng province, gave details of the incident on Twitter shortly after the collapse at Hoërskool Driehoek high school in Vanderbijlpark.

It was not immediately clear what caused the collapse.

Netcare911, an emergency services provider, said at least four people may have died and at least five were critically injured.

South Africa’s department of education extended condolences to the families of the students killed.

AfriForum, a civil society organisation that represents Afrikaners, urged people to avoid the area so as not to interfere with the work of emergency responders. </s> JOHANNESBURG — At least three students are dead and "scores" are trapped in the rubble after a walkway collapsed at a school outside Johannesburg, a South African official said Friday.

Panyaza Lesufi, the head of education for Gauteng province, posted the toll on Twitter shortly after the collapse at the Hoerskool Driehoek high school in Vanderbijlpark.

It was not immediately clear what caused the collapse.

Emergency services provider Netcare911 said at least four people may have died and at least five people were critically injured.

The national Department of Education extended condolences to the families of the students killed.

A statement by AfriForum, a civil society organization that represents the rights of Afrikaners, sent out a notice urging people to avoid the area so as not to interfere with the work of emergency responders.
A partially-constructed building collapses onto a truck in Jacobs, Durban, South Africa, killing at least three people and hospitalising six more.