A man has been found alive in the rubble nearly five days after a deadly building collapse in the South African city of George.
Claps and loud cheers erupted at the site after rescuers found the man early Saturday morning as they sifted through the rubble, local media reported.
“Everybody has been wanting a miracle.. well, the miracle has happened 116 hours in; we found someone alive,” Western Cape province Premier Alan Winde told journalists.
Rescuers were able to talk to the man, who said he had weight on his legs, according to reports.
“We actually spoke to him, and he spoke back to us,” said Colin Deiner, the provincial head of disaster management.
The death toll of the George building collapse has risen to 13 after two more bodies were recovered on Friday afternoon.
Some 39 people are still unaccounted while13 others are admitted to hospitals.
The authorities estimate the rescue operations could last another 10 days.
Officials said that 81 people were on site when the five-storey building collapsed on Monday