Survivor found five days after building collapse in South Africa (VIDEO)

A survivor has been recovered from rubble, five days after the collapse of a five-story building in South Africa, which resulted in the deaths of 20 people, Barron’s reported on Sunday.

The building in the city of George was under construction and around 81 workers were on site at the time of the collapse. A total of 20 fatalities have been confirmed, while 29 people were rescued alive, and 32 others remain missing.

“Our survivor has been successfully extracted from the debris after more than 116 hours. This is nothing short of a miracle,” Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday. Footage of the dramatic rescue was also shared on social media. 

According to the South African channel News24, the rescued individual was identified as Gabriel Gambe, a 33-year-old tiler, who was seen being transported to a waiting ambulance.

Speaking from the scene of the incident, Winde expressed his gratitude to the teams diligently working to rescue those who are trapped.

More than 100 emergency personnel and responders, aided by sniffer dogs, have worked overnight amid concerns that concrete slabs had collapsed onto construction workers, necessitating the deployment of large cranes and heavy lifting equipment to clear debris. Rescue operations have been continuing.

Saturday’s rescue came after the liberation of 29-year-old Delvin Safels on Wednesday. Safels garnered public attention when he sent emotional voice messages to his parents and girlfriend, expressing his love for them and fearing that he might not survive.