2 Dead, 30 Injured in South African Building Collapse

Two people are dead and up to 40 people were trapped on Tuesday afternoon when a section of a shopping mall under construction collapsed in South Africa. Construction workers were roughly half-way done with the three story mall when the second floor collapsed. Rescue workers arrived on scene to provide medical assistance to those who were injured and used sniffing dogs to find workers trapped in the rubble.

The cause of the partial collapse is still unknown, however, authorities in Durban had recently halted construction at the site for disregarding certain laws. Durban is considered the busiest port in South Africa and one of the most important manufacturing cities in South Africa. The city has seen a large increase recently on government infrastructure and construction spending. The South African Department of Labor sent multiple representatives to the construction site to investigate why the building failed. Luckily, the collapse occurred after the majority of workers had gone home for the day. Although not mentioned by name, the owner of the mall has been identified as a well-known South African businessman.