George, South Africa — In a critical development on the fifth day of search and rescue operations, South African Police Service (SAPS) sniffer dogs played a pivotal role in locating a survivor amidst the rubble of the collapsed building on Victoria Street in George. The discovery occurred early Saturday morning, providing a significant boost to the ongoing efforts at the site.

According to the South African Police Service, Warrant Officer Willie Visser and his sniffer dog, Abbey, initially detected the survivor's location. This lead was subsequently confirmed by another sniffer dog, Lex, handled by Warrant Officer Riaan Le Roux. The survivor was successfully extricated from the debris and promptly transported to a medical facility for treatment.

The SAPS K-9 units have been integral to the search, rescue, and recovery operation since it began on Monday afternoon, following the building collapse. To date, the efforts have resulted in the retrieval of 42 victims, with 13 confirmed fatalities. The search for other missing individuals continues under the guidance of SAPS and other involved agencies.

An inquest docket has been opened by the George police to investigate the incident further. High-ranking officials, including Deputy National Commissioner responsible for Policing, Lt General Tebello Mosikili, and Western Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile, visited the site on Thursday. Their visit aimed to ensure that adequate resources were available and to provide leadership to the teams on the ground.