Rescue workers search for survivors as South African mall collapses

Rescue workers in South Africa with sniffer dogs picked through rubble in search of survivors Wednesday after a soccer pitch-sized section of a half-built mall collapsed, killing at least one and injuring dozens, The Irish Times reported. It was not immediately clear how many people might be still trapped in the wreckage after the three-story building in the South African town of Tongaat, 30 km north of Durban, collapsed yesterday afternoon. “We have no idea how many are trapped at the moment, but we’ve only got confirmation of three missing,” police spokeswoman Mandy Govender said. Sniffer dogs had located one “hot spot” area where workers were using hydraulic rescue tools to try and break through slabs of concrete and steel bars, emergency services spokesman Chris Botha told broadcaster ENCA. “It was just total chaos when we first arrived here.” The cause of the collapse was also unclear, although district mayor James Nxumalo said local authorities had obtained a series of court injunctions, the latest on November 14th, to halt construction.