George building collapse: Trapped worker responds to rescuers

GEORGE - Rescuers leading operations in George have found one more worker trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building alive and are in communication with him.

Rescuers had been pumping oxygen into cavities between the ruins in the hope of signs of life when the unthinkable happened.
 
A trapped worker responded.
 
Rescue teams have found an individual alive and are in communication with him.
 
It’s expected to take five hours to reach him.
 
Meanwhile, 39 artisans working on the site at the time the building collapsed on Monday are still unaccounted for.
 
Thirteen of their colleagues died in the yet unexplained collapse of an unfinished apartment block.

Demolition teams and rescue crews are still hard at work, shoulder-to-shoulder, on the site.

The urban rescue workers continue to use seismic devices and specialist cameras while earth-moving machinery peel back the concrete slabs.

The MEC responsible for disaster management, Anton Bredell, said crews had not ruled out the possibility of a miracle survival.

Not even the threat of rain will interrupt their plans.

"If you look at the predictions, there's maybe a little drizzle but we've got pumps on site, we've got everything... we're ready if needs be, even pumping some oxygen into the slabs just to help if there's any sign of life, so the crews... they're professional, they've got the tools and they will keep on."

This mission hinges on delicate precision as teams now approach 120 hours of uninterrupted rescue work.