Indian-origin man among 4 killed in temple collapse in South Africa

A 52-year-old Indian-origin man is among four people killed as a four-storey Hindu temple under construction collapsed in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province, officials have said.

The New Ahobilam Temple of Protection, situated on a steep hill in Redcliffe in north of eThekwini (formerly Durban), was being expanded when a section of the building gave way on Friday while workers were on site.

The exact number of workers and temple officials believed to be trapped beneath tonnes of rubble is unknown.

While two people, a construction worker and a devotee, were confirmed dead on Friday, the death toll rose to four on Saturday after rescue teams recovered more bodies.

Of the four deceased, one has been identified as Vickey Jairaj Panday, an executive member of the temple trust and manager of the construction project, local media reported, quoting officials.

Panday had been deeply involved in the development of the temple since its inception nearly two years ago, the reports said.

Sanvir Maharaj, director of Food for Love, a charity affiliated to the temple, also confirmed that Panday was among those who had died.

Rescue workers, who spent two days trying to recover a fifth body that had been located, had to suspend operations on Saturday afternoon due to inclement weather, Reaction Unit South Africa spokesperson Prem Balram told local media.

“At this stage, it cannot be confirmed whether additional individuals remain trapped beneath the rubble,” he said.

The temple was designed to resemble a cave, using rocks brought from India and excavated on site, and the family building the structure had claimed that it would house one of the world's largest deities of Lord Nrsimhadeva.

The eThekwini municipality, in a statement, said no building plans had been approved for the project, suggesting the construction was illegal.

Initial rescue efforts had been guided by cellphone calls from one of the trapped persons, but communications ceased late Friday evening, officials said.

KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Thulasizwe Buthelezi visited the site on Saturday and pledged that rescue operations would continue for as long as necessary, even as experts noted that there was little hope of finding more survivors.

Buthelezi expressed gratitude to the combined government and private teams involved in the search and rescue operation, including a special dog unit from the Western Cape.