Survivor Recounts Harrowing Experience in South Africa Building Collapse

Delvin Safers, a 29-year-old electrician, found himself trapped beneath the rubble of a five-story apartment block in George, South Africa, following its sudden collapse. As he lay pinned next to the lifeless body of his colleague, he was overcome with terror and sorrow.

Mr. Safers had been working on the upmarket apartment complex for seven months, and the deceased colleague had become a close friend. The traumatic event unfolded without warning, as the third-floor collapsed beneath them while they were discussing an electrical issue.

With his one free arm, Mr. Safers managed to make a phone call to his family, fearing it would be his last words. “I wanted to bid farewell as I was trapped and believed my fate was sealed,” he recounted in an interview with the BBC from his home in Mossel Bay.

As the rescue operation commenced above ground, involving heavy machinery and manual labor, Mr. Safers remained calm for 15 hours, hoping for a miraculous rescue. However, his resolve eventually gave way to despair, and he began sending desperate voice notes to his girlfriend and two-year-old son, Zyar.

Breathing heavily and in pain, he expressed his dwindling hope: “I fear I may not survive.” Despite hearing the rescuers’ proximity, the excruciating wait seemed interminable, and he felt trapped in a “hellish” environment of darkness, cold, and pain.

The thought of his son kept him fighting for survival. After eight hours of working near him, the rescuers finally freed one of his colleagues, and Mr. Safers felt a mix of relief and guilt, knowing many others remained trapped, including some who had perished. The current death toll stands at 32.

After an agonizing 28 hours under the rubble, Mr. Safers was finally rescued and received treatment for a head laceration and fractured rib. He was discharged from the hospital after just two days, still grappling with the trauma and concerned about the 20 individuals still unaccounted for.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway, and Mr. Safers hopes that if shortcuts were taken during construction, those responsible will be held accountable for the lives lost and the survivors who may never fully recover.