Five people were killed and 15 injured when a store wall collapsed in Ngcobo, Eastern Cape province on Friday.
Provided by the Eastern Cape Department of Health
- A fifth person was killed when a store wall collapsed in Ngcobo on Friday afternoon.
- Four people were seriously injured in the incident.
- Rescue teams were still at the scene Friday night.
The death toll rose to five after a wall collapsed at a retail store in Ngcobo, Eastern Cape province on Friday afternoon.
Four people died at the scene and 15 were rushed to All Saints Hospital.
The fifth person died at the hospital.
Eastern Cape health department spokesperson Mkhululi Ndamase said an ambulance was dispatched just after 1pm.
It is not clear what caused the wall to collapse.
Eastern Cape Police are investigating the incident.
Of those taken to All Saints Hospital, one person has been discharged and four others with serious injuries were taken to Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mtata.
Ndamase said emergency medical services personnel and other rescue workers were still busy Friday night conducting search and rescue operations to determine if there were any other bodies trapped under the rubble.
The victims are said to include peddlers who were nearby when the incident occurred.
Chris Hani District Municipality Mayor Rousanda Sizani expressed his condolences to the affected families.
He said a disaster response team was dispatched to the scene immediately after the incident occurred.
“We wish the injured a speedy recovery,” Sizani said.