UPDATE: Rescue efforts halted in Ballito over safety concerns

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Rescue efforts have been temporarily called off at a construction site at Zen Drive in Ballito due to safety concerns. This after an embankment collapsed burying five construction workers, three of whom have been declared dead on the scene.

It is not yet clear what caused the collapse. A portion of Zen Drive has been closed off to traffic.

Emergency services are having difficulty in locating the other two construction workers as several parts of the banks continue to collapse.

Rescue teams are waiting for specialised equipment to arrive on scene so that the area can be secured and the other two construction workers can be retrieved.

Rescue efforts have been temporarily called off at a construction site at Zen Drive in Ballito due to safety concerns. An embankment collapsed burying 5 construction workers 3 of whom have been declared dead on the scene. #SABCNEWS

— rhulani baloyi (@rhulani1baloyi) May 18, 2024

‘Scene declared unsafe’

IPSS Search and Rescue Spokesperson Samantha Meyrick says the scene is still active.

“At this time it is very difficult to say how long is this going to take. There have been multiple further collapses of the bank, so the scene has been declared unsafe and has been evacuated. We have rescuers from multiple agencies on the scene working together. They are busy setting up safety systems and trying to improve the safety of the scene so the bodies of the victims can be recovered.”

Update: Three bodies have been retrieved from the soil. Two people remain missing. #sabcnews https://t.co/z7AnxU4uWn

— Jayed-Leigh Paulse (@JayedLeigh) May 18, 2024