Two bodies retrieved from the rubble at the George construction tragedy still need to be identified.
The site has officially been handed over to the labour department for investigation, with disaster officials and police confirming that all 62 people on site have been accounted for.
Thirty-three deaths have been confirmed, and ten people remain hospitalized.
The disaster site is now quiet.
A hollowed-out pit remains where the five-storey, 42-unit block of flats was under construction.
For days, the area was the scene of a bustling operation involving rescue, demolition, and investigative work.
The MEC responsible for Disaster Management, Anton Bredell, cautioned that much work remains. “There’s still a lot of investigations and facts to determine. And then there’s the process to hold those responsible accountable.”
Identifying the deceased has also proved challenging, as many workers were foreign nationals and some were undocumented.
Seven bodies are still in the morgue, with three identified as Mozambican nationals.
Garden Route disaster management chief, Gerhard Otto, stated that the remaining four bodies still need to be linked to their families. “That’s a process involving DNA and other methods. It can take a little longer. These will be more difficult to identify due to the nature of the injuries.”
Some of the victims will be buried this weekend, while psycho-social support will be provided to families for at least the next six months.
