Zandi Shabalala
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URBAN, South Africa (Reuters) - At least one
person was killed and up to 50 more were trapped under rubble on Tuesday after
a half-built shopping mall collapsed near the South African coastal city of
Durban, emergency services and police said.
A further 26 people had been taken to
hospital in the town of Tongaat, 30 km (20 miles) north of Durban, Chris Botha,
a spokesman for the Netcare 911 emergency service, told Reuters.
It was not yet clear what had caused the
collapse of the three-storey building, which had been under construction for
some time, residents told Reuters.
If safety regulations are found to have been
breached, the accident could sour already fraught labour relations in South
Africa's construction sector and might have ramifications for the ruling
African National Congress as it moves towards an election next year.
Television footage showed police and rescue
workers walking over large piles of rubble and twisted metal lying next to a
railway track. Large parts of the building had completely given way.
"The scene is extremely horrific ...
concrete big blocks have fallen on to people," Botha told broadcaster ENCA
from the scene. "The guys are busy using hydraulic rescue equipment to
break through the concrete and get to some of the patients."
Ambulances ferried the injured to nearby
hospitals, which initiated full-scale disaster plans.
"There are no really severe
injuries," said Jenny Meer, manager of the Mediclinic Victoria hospital in
Tongaat that had admitted eight patients.
"It's mainly broken bones, soft tissue
injuries and a bit of shock. But obviously there are a lot of patients that are
still trapped on site," she said.
Emergency services spokesman Botha said
others were more seriously injured.
Durban and the surrounding province of
KwaZulu-Natal is the home of President Jacob Zuma. The region has enjoyed a
massive construction boom in the last few years, based in part on huge
government investment in infrastructure improvements.
Zuma and the ruling African National Congress
(ANC)face a general election in April or May next year.
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