One person was injured after a building collapsed in Lenasia, south of Johannesburg.
It is understood the incident happened on Tuesday at the corner of Guinea Fowl Street and Smew Avenue in the suburb.
The area was closed off to traffic as emergency services conducted rescue operations. Residents have been urged to avoid the area and use alternate routes.
Watch the scene of the building collapse in Lenasia
Collapse
Johannesburg Emergency Services (EMS) spokesperson Nana Radebe said an investigation into the collapse is underway.
“Around 7:44pm this evening, the City of Joburg Emergency Management Services received a call about a structural collapse at Lenasia. On arrival, rescue technicians managed to remove one patient from the rubble to a nearby medical facility.
“EMS can confirm that only one person was at the building at the time of the incident after several interviews with eye witnesses,” Radebe said.
George building collapse
Last year, 13 people died after a building collapsed in George in the Western Cape.
The building was under construction when it collapsed in May, resulting in several fatalities and numerous people remaining unaccounted for.
A total of 81 people where on the site at the time of the collapse.
Eastern cape collapse
In another incident in May last year, a shop wall collapse killed five people in Ngcobo in the Eastern Cape
The municipality’s mayor, Siyabulela Zangqa, at the time sent his condolences to the families of the deceased.
“This is indeed a tragic incident, and my thoughts are with the families who have lost loved ones in this disastrous event. We would also like to thank community members for assisting and showing support in this dreadful period,” Zangqa said.
