JOHANNESBURG, May 13, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - The death toll from the collapse of a 
building in South Africa has risen to 26, with another 26 people still 
missing, authorities said Monday, a week after the structure came crashing 
down.

Six bodies were recovered during the night and the morning at the site in the 
southern city of George, city officials said.

Rescue teams have worked tirelessly since the five-storey apartment block, 
which was under construction, suddenly collapsed last Monday.

Eighty-one people, mostly construction workers, were at the site at the time.

Twenty-nine people have been rescued so far.

They include a man who was pulled out on Saturday after 116 hours under the 
rubble. 

"It is a miracle that we have all been hoping for," Western Cape provincial 
premier Alan Winde said on X, formerly Twitter.

Search teams have vowed to comb every cavity among the wrecked building, but 
the chances of survival are fading.

"Rescue and recovery efforts continue into a week to this day after the 
incident took place," the George municipality said. 

One minute's silence will be held at 2:09 pm (1209 GMT) -- the exact time the 
building collapsed seven days ago -- "to honour the lives lost," it added.

Authorities said they were implementing a plan to "expedite the 
identification of the deceased" and requested relatives to come forward.

"We are experiencing difficulties in obtaining accurate names of individuals 
missing or deceased," they said. 

Some families have expressed frustration over the pace of the identification 
process.

The municipality also called for psychologists fluent in Chewa, Portuguese 
and Shona -- languages spoken in neighbouring Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe 
-- to assist with counselling.

Previously, authorities declined to comment on speculation about whether most 
of the crew were foreign nationals.

South Africa, the continent's most industrialised nation, has long attracted 
migrants, who often come in search of employment without the correct papers. 

The reason for the collapse of the building, which was to include 42 
apartments and had received planning permission, has not been established and 
an inquiry is under way.