Indian-Origin Man Among 4 Killed After Hindu Temple Collapses in South Africa

Johannesburg: An under-construction multi-storey building atop a Hindu temple collapsed in Verulam, South Africa, killing at least four people, including a 52-year-old Indian-origin man, and leaving several trapped under tonnes of rubble and concrete. 

According to officials cited in local reports, the deceased included Vickey Jairaj Panday, the temple trust executive and project manager who had overseen the site's development from its start two years ago. His death was also confirmed by Sanvir Maharaj, director of Food for Love, a charity affiliated with the temple.

The local eThekwini Municipality also stated that no building plans had been approved, indicating the structure was being built illegally, and it also remains unclear whether those trapped were construction workers, worshippers, or both. 

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

In a similar event in Fez, Morocco, at least 22 people were killed after two adjacent four-storey residential buildings collapsed overnight in the densely populated Al-Mustaqbal neighbourhood, with the state broadcaster reporting the blocks had shown signs of cracking for some time without any effective preventive measures being taken. 

The buildings were inhabited by eight families and were in the Al-Mustaqbal neighbourhood, a densely populated area in the west of the city, it reported.

(With inputs from Agencies)

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