The structural collapse in Phoenix.
Image: Supplied
Two people have died in a structural collapse in Phoenix in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) on Saturday.
The tragic incident took place just after 11 am on a property in Canehaven Drive in Canehaven.
Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) spokesperson, Prem Balram said its operations centre received a call from a member of the public requesting assistance for the trapped men.
“Reaction Officers and RUSA Paramedics were immediately dispatched. On arrival, Reaction Officers discovered the bodies of both men trapped under the debris. They showed no signs of life and were declared deceased,” Balram said.
The men who died were construction workers.
Image: Supplied
The men are construction workers who were working on the property.
“It was established that they were employed by a construction company and in the process of digging a trench when a retaining wall, sand & metal reinforcing collapsed on them. The two males, aged 27 and 29 were Mozambican nationals,” Balram said.
The men were digging trenches when the structure collapsed.
Image: Supplied
Firefighters from the Ethekwini Fire and Rescue Services are currently on scene and are in the process of recovering the bodies.
In May last year, 34 people died after a building collapsed in George in the Western Cape.
Previously, the Cape Argus reported that pieces of the puzzle regarding what caused the George building collapse on May 6 a year ago are coming together as the one-year anniversary approaches, while certain departments remain tight-lipped as public interest and demands continue to grow.
Minister of Human Settlements, Thembi Simelane, said she would be implementing the recommendations in the final report of the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC), which found in a preliminary report that several procedures were not followed and there was a breach of the Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
IOL
