The death toll from the collapse at the Ahobilam Temple of Protection construction site in Redcliffe, a town north of eThekwini in South Africa, has climbed to four after tonnes of concrete gave way at the four-storey structure, according to PTI.
Rescue teams spent nearly two days attempting to retrieve a fifth body that had been located beneath the rubble but were forced to halt operations on Saturday afternoon as heavy rain and poor weather conditions made further work unsafe, Reaction Unit South Africa spokesperson Prem Balram told local media. “At this stage, it cannot be confirmed whether additional individuals remain trapped beneath the rubble,” he said.
Sanvir Maharaj, director of Food for Love, a charitable organisation linked to the temple, confirmed that Panday was among those who died following the collapse. The temple is located on a steep hillside in Redcliffe, a predominantly Indian area north of Durban.
According to PTI, initial rescue efforts were guided by mobile phone calls received from one of the individuals trapped beneath the debris. However, by late Friday evening, the calls had ceased, raising concerns about the chances of survival.
In a statement, the eThekwini municipality said preliminary investigations showed that the temple was being constructed without approved building plans, indicating that the structure was illegal. The municipality reiterated on Saturday that no official approval had been granted for the construction.
KwaZulu-Natal’s Provincial Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, visited the site on Saturday afternoon. He assured that rescue operations would continue for as long as required, although experts present at the scene said there was little hope of finding any further survivors.
Buthelezi also thanked the combined government and private rescue teams involved in the operation, including a specialised dog unit brought in from the Western Cape to assist in searching for any remaining trapped individuals.
The Ahobilam Temple of Protection was being constructed in a cave-like design, with rocks transported from India as well as stones excavated from the site itself. These were plastered to create the appearance of a cave on the temple’s first floor. Construction began nearly two years ago, and the family behind the project had said the temple would house what they described as the world’s largest deity of Lord Nrsimhadeva, PTI reported.
(With inputs from PTI)
