Building under construction collapses on temple in South Africa, leaving 1 dead

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A multistory building being constructed on top of a Hindu temple collapsed Friday in the South African town of Verulam, killing at least one person and leaving several others trapped under the rubble and concrete, local authorities said.

The authorities did not immediately say how many people were trapped, but an official with a privately run emergency response organization said initial reports indicated there were six people, though that was not confirmed. A further eight people were injured and taken to the hospital, the official said.

The local EThekwini Municipality said in a statement that preliminary investigations indicated that no building plans had been approved and the structure appeared to be under construction illegally.

The municipality said there were “several injuries and entrapments” and rescue teams were at the site north of the east coast city of Durban.

Some of those trapped were communicating with family members on their cellphones to give information on where they were, Prem Balram, the official with the private Reaction Unit South Africa security and emergency response company, told national broadcaster SABC. It was not clear if the people trapped were construction workers, worshippers who were in the temple, or both, Balram said.

He said it appeared the building under construction was three or four stories high and was an extension of the temple. He said one of the owners of the temple might be among those trapped under the rubble, though he did not name them.

Balram said some emergency responders from his company were working with the rescue teams and it was going to be a “mammoth task” to rescue survivors.

The temple was located on top of a hill overlooking a ranch. Images released by the municipality of the aftermath showed twisted metal, collapsed pillars and mounds of rubble where it once stood.

Last year, more than 30 construction workers were killed when an apartment building that was under construction collapsed in the city of George on South Africa’s south coast. Rescuers searched for more than a week for survivors after that collapse, which an investigation found was due to design flaws, the use of substandard construction materials and negligence.

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Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa.

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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa