On Saturday morning, IPSS Search & Rescue and IPSS Medical responded to a construction site on Zen Drive following reports of a sand bank collapsing.
On arrival, it was reported that five contractors were trapped beneath the sand.
With the quick arrival of the KDM Fire Department, rescuers quickly got to work in an attempt to find the missing contractors.
However, the scene was soon declared unsafe, with the bank continuing to collapse around rescuers.
With the arrival of additional resources from CERT Emergency Response Tongaat, Durban Metro Police Search & Rescue, EMRS, Ethekweni Fire Department, SAPS Search & Rescue, and SAPS K9 Search & Rescue, teams were able to assess the scene.
A call was made to private individuals and companies, and the requested construction equipment, including a TLB, quickly arrived on site, allowing the recovery efforts to continue.
Rescuers were able to locate the first four victims, who were sadly all declared deceased on the scene.
On discovery of the 5th victim, it was found that the man had miraculously survived almost six hours buried beneath the sand.
While under the care of IPSS Medical Advanced Life Support paramedics, the rescuers worked almost three hours to extricate the severely entrapped man, who was then transported to a suitable facility for further care.