Emergency Services have confirmed that two people believed to be construction workers have died after a four-story temple collapsed at Redcliffe in the Verulam area north of Durban.
Preliminary reports indicate that the temple was fully functional and that another structure was being constructed on top of it.
Several people have been hospitalised.
IPSS spokesperson Kelsey-Jae Myrik explans, “Currently it has been confirmed that two people have sadly been declared deceased currently in the rubble as well as a further three are still believed to be alive but entrapped under the rubble. Five people who were trapped on one side of the building were able to be rescued with no minor injuries. Rescuers are now working on how to determine if she can get to the people and the deceased who are trapped in the rubble.”
One of the construction workers who survived the collapse explains how the incident occurred. He confirms that his boss is among those who are trapped under the rubble.
“I was putting concrete in a slab and I was at the top, and other people were on the first floor. That time, the first part fell down, and other people were stuck inside. There are about five people. There are about three workers, our boss and the cousin’s boss and an electricity guy. No one screamed …no one screamed, we were praying, we didn’t know what was going to happen.”
Meanwhile, the Co-operative Governance Department in KwaZulu-Natal says there are no severe weather warnings for the area of Verulam, north of Durban, as rescue efforts continue at the collapsed Redcliffe Temple. Department spokesperson Senzelwe Mzila.
“For the weather warnings that we normally receive, there are no weather warnings specifically for this area. We do see, though, that the weather conditions are changing. We are hoping they will have enough time to do what needs to be done. We do have firefighters as well as machinery that are being brought on site to assist with this rescue or recovery operation.”
Rescue Operation For Victims Trapped In Temple Collapse: Redcliffe – KZNhttps://t.co/uGyRVlY5V0#ArriveAlive #StructuralCollapse #TempleCollapse #RUSA@ConstructionSfy pic.twitter.com/HsejF9xGUn
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) December 12, 2025
Temple Collapse | Rescue operations underway, one death confirmed
