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Hospital roof collapses in South Africa, several people trapped

Published

10 years ago

March 2, 2017

Several people have been feared trapped as part of a roof collapsed at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, South Africa, on Thursdayafternoon.

However, emergency services at the Gauteng Department of Health confirmed that it was a structural collapse.

A fifteen years old girl, a patient, who witnessed the incident but preferred not to have her name used, told TimesLIVE that she was “lost for words” as the roof collapsed just as she was about to enter the hospital.

“I was late for my appointment at the dentist. I was about to go in when it happened. In my mind, I didn’t think the roof would fall. I’m lost for words,” she said.

The girl explained that soon after the roof came down, there was a lot of dust, claiming that people were screaming asking for help.

She expressed gratitude to God that she was not trapped inside, but “I still feel really bad for the people trapped inside.”

Another woman who only identified herself as Nomsa, said she was standing near the lift when she heard a noise, saw some dust and then a louder noise.

“I heard a bang and then the roof collapsed. I was on my way to the pharmacy when it happened. I’m glad I didn’t make it all the way in,” she said.

The Gauteng Department of Health issued a statement confirm there had been a structural collapse at the hospital.

“The collapse took place in the passage near maternity department on the hospital street. At this stage we can neither confirm the number of injuries nor what caused the collapse.

“Emergency Medical Services are at the scene. The Department will update the public continuously as we get more information on the incident‚” the department said in a statement