Cape Town — Municipality officials in George are experiencing difficulty in obtaining the accurate names of people missing or deceased due to the building collapse in the town which killed 27 of the 81 people inside the building.

"We urgently request families who have lost contact with their loved ones to come to the George Civic Centre on York Street. This will enable the Department of Social Development to collect detailed and precise information, ensuring that all records are accurately documented," their statement said.

They have also confirmed that 13 people are currently receiving treatment in hospital, and 25 people who were inside the building when it collapsed are still unaccounted for, and 27 died.

The municipality is continuing rescue efforts and urged "professional psychosocial support practitioners proficient in Chewa, Portuguese, and Shona languages" to contact +27 78 210 5972 or +27 61 504 4205 if they can help those affected by the building collapse.

President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and offered well wishes to the rescue teams. He has also called for a thorough investigation into the cause of the collapse to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

The cause of the building's collapse on Monday, May 6, is still unknown.