A crane was used to lift the slabs and recover the bodies. Six people who were injured in the incident remain in a critical condition in hospital in Durban.

DURBAN - The bodies of three construction workers who were trapped under the rubble in Wentworth have now been extracted six hours after a wall collapsed.

Earlier EWN reported that three people have been killed in the incident in Durban.

Six people who were injured in the incident remain in a critical condition in hospital in Durban.

A crane was used to lift the slabs and recover the bodies.

The police's Thembeka Mbele said: “Three bodies have been extracted and they were taken by the mortuary van to the mortuary. The Labour Department, as well as the disaster management with the Durban search and rescue, have been assisting each other and other stakeholders. So, for now, the dog unit is just checking if there are no other bodies underneath the truck.”

It's understood the building caved in at around 1 o’ clock, trapping the three workers.</s>Two people are trapped under a building that collapsed on a truck in Wentworth, south of Durban. (Rescue Care)

Investigations are underway after three people were killed when a two storey building, which was under construction, collapsed onto a truck carrying tiles in Jacobs, Durban.

Construction workers were busy at the site on Chamberlin Road around midday when tragedy struck.

"There were a few of them [construction workers] that were busy and others were at lunch. But it came down so quickly and many people got hurt. It was a sad scene. People were scared," an eyewitness that works near the building told News24 shortly after the collapse on Wednesday.

The man, who did not want to be identified, said panic ensued.

"Everyone was very stressed. When it ... happened, we hoped it was just small injuries, but it was bad."

Labour Department spokesperson Lungelo Mkamba told News24 that occupational safety and health inspectors from the department were on site.

"We have dispatched our team. The details surrounding what led to the collapse are unclear ... for now, that is all we can say."

Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said that the injured were between the ages of 35 and 40 years old.

"We are not sure what caused this, but the various departments and emergency services have been on site. Once we receive a detailed report, we can share more about what caused this tragedy."

EMS spokesperson Robert Mckenzie said paramedics treated five patients at the scene for injuries ranging from critical to serious.

"Emergency services are still at the scene. The exact reason and circumstances resulting in the collapse are not known at this stage and are being investigated by the relevant authorities."

Recovery efforts were expected to continue through most of Wednesday night after an industrial crane was brought to the site to remove parts of the collapsed wall and rubble.

A large crowd had gathered around the site after news of the accident spread on social media. Traffic in the area was also negatively affected as emergency services with specialised vehicles made their way to assist.

The families of the deceased are believed to be from outside South Africa.





The #DurbanBuildingCollapse appears to be an incomplete building under construction. People on the scene tell me construction workers were on site when it collapsed @TeamNews24 — Kaveel Singh (@kaveels) March 28, 2018

It appears that the wall fell on the back of the truck that's carrying tiles. @TeamNews24 pic.twitter.com/6F2YNNEE4d — Kaveel Singh (@kaveels) March 28, 2018

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- FOLLOW News24 on Twitter</s>Durban - Two people have died after being trapped under a building that collapsed on a truck in the Wentworth area, south of Durban, paramedic services have said on Wednesday.

The two were construction workers at the site, Rescue Care spokesperson Garrith Jamieson said.

Five others were injured after the building on Chamberblin Road collapsed.

"Patients are currently being treated by advanced life support paramedics," he said.

The road is currently closed off.

KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter.</s>Durban has for the fourth consecutive year been ranked as the South African city with the highest quality of life.

This is according to global consulting firm Mercer, which recently released its annual Quality of Living Survey results, ranking Durban 85th out of 231 cities surveyed across the world. Cape Town followed in 91st position, while Joburg was ranked 94th.

The only other African city ahead of Durbs was Port Louis in Mauritius, in 83rd position.

"Durban's higher ranking is mainly due to its high-quality housing, plentiful recreational offerings and good consumer goods availability," Mercer stated in a press release.

And we couldn't agree more. In fact, we are convinced that the following five reasons also contribute to the ranking:

Don't be surprised to see Durbanites wearing flip-flops and shorts in winter. It's standard apparel all year round because of the city's great weather throughout the year. In winter, the temperature hovers around 24 degrees, and it is hardly windy.

Despite the generally warmer year, as a subtropical city Durban also gets plenty of regular rainfall all year round, and is plagued by drought far less often than other big cities. Yes, Capetonians, we know it's painful to hear, but Durbanites can bathe every day if they want to...

Durban has a wealth of stunning Blue Flag beaches and because of the fantastic weather, they are as swimmable in winter as summer. Sunrise over the Golden Mile — a stretch of beachfront that runs from South Beach to North Beach — is truly a sight to behold.

In Numbeo's Cost of Living Index for 2017, Durban was ranked as the cheapest metro in the country, compared to Cape Town and Johannesburg. The survey ranks cities based on user-sourced data.

According to 2018 updates from the index, consumer prices in Johannesburg are 11.35 percent higher than in Durban, and you would need around R33,848.69 in Johannesburg to maintain the same standard of living that you can have with R29,000 in Durban (assuming you rent in either city).

In Durban, you can have the best meal at the docks, in a shipping container or at an unassuming off-street eatery on Florida Road. The quintessential Durban meal is the bunny chow — a hollowed-out quarter-loaf filled with curry that is a must-try. History has it that the dish was created as a meal-to-go that farm workers could hold in one hand.

The city is multicultural, depending on where you go. At Durban's beachfront, for example, you'll find people of all races, classes and backgrounds surfing, biking, running, taking a stroll, having a braai, dancing, enjoying a group workout-by-the-ocean, or just lazing around.

One is also spoilt for choice where street markets, craft markets, art museums and historical tours are concerned.

Europe dominated the top rankings, with Vienna, Zurich and Munich all in the top five​​​​​​ for cities with the best quality of life.</s>Search and rescue operations were conducted on Wednesday at the site of a building collapse near the Bluff area in Durban. Photo: Twitter / @SAPoliceService

DURBAN - Investigations are underway after at least three people were killed during a building collapse near the Bluff area in Durban.

 

 A wall at a construction site came down and fell onto a nearby truck.

Five people were seriously injured when the structure collapsed, paramedics said earlier.

The eThekwini Municipality said four concrete slabs (11m high and weighing 14 tons) collapsed at around 1pm, falling on top of workers on site.

Mayor Zandile Gumede expressed her condolences to the families of the workers who lost their lives during this tragic incident.

She also wished the five workers who have been hospitalised a speedy recovery.

“The sudden loss of lives of our people is indeed a sad occasion.

"A thorough investigation into the cause of the incident will be conducted," said Gumede.</s>A wall at a construction site in the area is believed to have collapsed and fallen onto a truck. Five other people were injured. Authorities are still conducting search and rescue operations. The cause of the collapse is being probed. Video: eNCA

JOHANNESBURG – At least three people have been killed after a building collapsed in Jacobs near the Bluff area in Durban.

A wall at a construction site in the area is believed to have collapsed and fallen onto a truck.

Five other people were rushed to hospital with one critically injured.

Authorities are still conducting search and rescue operations in the area.

The cause of the collapse is being probed.</s>Australia's bowler Mitchell Starc, left, celebrates dismissing South Africa's captain Faf du Plessis‚ right, for 15 runs on day two of the first cricket test match between South Africa and Australia at Kingsmead stadium in Durban. (AP)

SYDNEY: Australian cricket chief James Sutherland Friday demanded his players show more respect for their opponents in the wake of incidents that overshadowed the first Test against South Africa in Durban.

David Warner was fined 75 percent of his match fee and given three demerit points following a bust-up with South Africa's Quinton de Kock as the players went to the dressing rooms at the tea interval on day four.

Warner claimed De Kock made "disgusting, vile" comments about his wife, capping a niggly contest in which Nathan Lyon was also fined for his reaction following the run out of the Proteas' AB de Villiers.

Sutherland said he supported the sanctions and commended match referee Jeff Crowe for his handling of the "difficult situation".

"CA has reminded the team of the standards of behaviour expected of players representing Australia," he said, pointing to the ICC Code of Conduct and the need to play within the laws and spirit of the game.

"This includes the need to be respectful of opponents, and CA expects this to be observed by players at all times.

"Unfortunately neither team met this standard in Durban. The Australian team understands that fans expect better."

Captains Faf du Plessis and Steve Smith met on Thursday ahead of the second Test and agreed they and the umpires had a responsibility to avoid any more blow-ups, but continued to disagree on what sparked the Warner-De Kock altercation.

Du Plessis insisted his player had been provoked by personal comments from Warner.

Sutherland said Australia always prided itself on being competitive and this would not change.

"However, CA is confident that what occurred in Durban will remain an aberration," he said.

"Under the period of the current team leadership, Australian players have received fewer sanctions under the ICC Code of Conduct than players from the majority of the nine top-ranked Test-playing nations.

"CA is confident that the rest of the series in South Africa will be remembered for enthralling cricket played in the right spirit by both teams."</s>Australia's batsman David Warner, front, plays a delivery as South Africa's wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock watches on during day three of the first cricket test match. | AP

DURBAN: It was billed as one of cricket's great battles but it hasn't translated into a rush on the turnstiles.

The first Test between South Africa and Australia at Kingsmead features the world's second and third-ranked teams, both bristling with world-class fast bowlers and stroke-playing batsmen.

Yet the crowds have been negligible.

The official attendance on the first day on Thursday was 3,957. It improved slightly to 4,865 on Friday but there were not enough people to create a vibrant atmosphere in the 18,000-capacity ground.

Ticket prices are low, starting at 60 rand ($5.03) for students and pensioners and 100 rand ($8.39) for adults. The most expensive seats are 230 rand.

At those prices spectators are likely to spend more on food, drink and parking than the admission price.

Test crowds -– or the lack of them -– have been a concern in South Africa, and Durban in particular, ever since South Africa staged its first post-isolation Test in the coastal city in 1992/93.

Despite frequently being allocated the prime Boxing Day holiday slot, single day crowds have seldom exceeded 10,000.

The current match is being played at an unusual time of year for Test cricket but Altaaf Kazi, Cricket South Africa's head of communications, said the turn-out was disappointing.

"We have done all the usual promotion," he said. "It is not as though Durban people don't support cricket. One-day games attract capacity crowds."

One theory is that people prefer to watch Test cricket on television, with live ball-by-ball coverage on both free-to-air and subscription channels.

There is also a significant counter-attraction on Saturday with the local Sharks team playing a Super Rugby match with an afternoon kick-off at the nearby Kings Park stadium.

South Africa's poor position after two days was a further deterrent to potential spectators.

Although there has been extensive promotion on regional radio, newspaper coverage has been patchy and confined to the sports pages.

A Saturday newspaper had a preview of the Sharks game as its main sports article, with a report on the cricket in a lesser position.

Next week's second Test is being played in Port Elizabeth, another city where attendances usually are poor, before the series moves to Cape Town and Johannesburg, where bigger crowds are likely.</s>Durban - Questions will be raised about the quality of work on a building after three men died at a construction site in the south of Durban yesterday.

The scene in Chamberlain Road, Jacobs, immediately brought back memories of the Tongaat Mall disaster in November 2013, where two workers were killed and 29 were injured.

On Thursday police were expected to contact families to identify the bodies of the victims.

Emergency Medical Services spokesperson Robert Mckenzie said construction workers were working at the site when a concrete structure collapsed. One concrete slab section collapsed on to the road and on to the trailer of a truck.

“Rescuers at the scene say that three people died. Five patients were treated for serious injuries and taken to hospital,” Mckenzie said.

The name of the contractor has not been revealed to the media. The construction company had been building a double-storey structure that could have been used as a warehouse or an office. The side of the concrete structure had gone up, with only the roof left to be completed. It is alleged that a crane hoisting a four-ton beam, which it was slotting on to the roof, slammed into the building.

It is alleged that a person directing the crane driver did not have a clear line of communication, or did not give the correct hand signal, causing the beam to slam into the wall. This caused the side slabs of concrete to fall on either side. These walls were allegedly held up by small brackets, which were exposed when it collapsed.

Witnesses said they heard bangs, a crashing noise and then saw dust hanging over the site. Construction workers ran out into the road.

An articulated truck and trailer, not involved with the construction, was parked on the roadside. One portion of a concrete slab fell on to the the truck’s trailer, the road and the brick boundary wall of the property. The truck was badly damaged but the driver was unharmed.

The side slab fell on to the double-storey building next door, damaging the boundary wall, the stairwell and top section of the building. Two other slabs fell into the property, crushing the crane cabin in the fall. The bodies were found under the slabs near the crane cabin.

Department of Labour spokesperson Teboho Thejane said occupational health and safety inspectors were conducting their own investigation.

“If the employer is found to be negligent and flouted any aspect of the Occupational Health and Safety Act or its regulations, a recommendation to prosecute will be made to the National Prosecuting Authority,” Thejane said.

Mayor Zandile Gumede said four concrete slabs (11m high and weighing 14 tons) collapsed at about 1pm, falling on the workers. Gumede said the cause of the collapse was not yet known but investigations would be conducted. “The sudden loss of lives of our people is indeed sad,” she said.</s>The embattled Durban University of Technology - fresh from a protracted staff strike - suspended lectures on Wednesday‚ this time because of a student protest.

The institution issued a notice to staff and students saying: “In view of the violent protest by students today‚ management has decided that on-campus lectures in Durban will be suspended.”

Angry students downed pens over not receiving their National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding.

Last year‚ former president Jacob Zuma announced that deserving students would receive free higher education in the form of NSFAS funding.

DUT said following a meeting with student representatives it was gravely concerned that a significant number of our students have not received any allowances from NSFAS as expected‚ with some dating back to 2017.

The institution added that the disbursement of funds was handled solely by NSFAS.

Lectures in Durban are expected to resume on April 3.

However‚ lectures in Pietermaritzburg would continue as normal‚ the university said.
A partially-constructed building collapses onto a truck in Jacobs, Durban, South Africa, killing at least three people and hospitalising six more.