George building collapse: ‘Hope to find somebody alive’ says top official as death toll climbs to 24

Two Police officers stand near the scene where a building collapsed, killing 24 people. (Alfonso Nqunjana/News24)

The Garden Route District Municipality has intensified efforts to identify those who died during the collapse of a building under construction in George last week.

Gerhard Otto, the head of disaster management in the Garden Route District Municipality, said forensics teams were working around the clock to compare fingerprints to those on databases to ensure that no details were overlooked.

He said police indicated they were prepared to mobilise as many resources as needed.