A 52-year-old man of Indian origin was among four people killed when a four-storey Hindu temple under construction collapsed in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, officials said.
The New Ahobilam Temple of Protection, located on a steep hill in Redcliffe north of eThekwini (formerly Durban), was being expanded when a section of the structure gave way on Friday while workers were present. Authorities have not confirmed the exact number of workers and temple staff who may be trapped beneath the rubble.
Two people — a construction worker and a devotee — were confirmed dead on Friday. The death toll rose to four on Saturday as rescue teams recovered additional bodies. One of those killed has been identified as Vickey Jairaj Panday, an executive member of the temple trust and the construction project manager. Local media and Sanvir Maharaj, director of Food for Love (a charity linked to the temple), confirmed Panday had been involved in the temple’s development since it began nearly two years ago.
Rescuers spent two days searching for a fifth person whose location was detected, but suspended operations on Saturday afternoon because of poor weather, Reaction Unit South Africa spokesperson Prem Balram said. “At this stage, it cannot be confirmed whether additional individuals remain trapped beneath the rubble,” he added.
The temple was designed to resemble a cave, using rocks transported from India as well as material excavated on site. The family building the structure had promoted it as the future home of one of the world’s largest representations of Lord Nrsimhadeva. eThekwini municipality officials said no building plans had been approved for the expansion, indicating the work may have been unauthorized.
Initial rescue directions were provided by cellphone calls from someone believed to be trapped, but communications stopped late on Friday. KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Thulasizwe Buthelezi visited the scene on Saturday, pledged that search operations would continue as long as necessary, and thanked the combined government and private teams involved in the effort, including a specialised dog unit brought from the Western Cape. Experts, however, warned there was little hope of finding more survivors.
