...

Mr Safers remembered that his phone was in his pocket and with his one free arm he made his first call – a last word with his family as he was convinced he would not survive.

"I wanted to say goodbye as I was trapped and thought it was over for me,” the 29-year-old tells the BBC from his home in Mossel Bay, a town 40km (25 miles) south-west of George. He is recovering but sounds exhausted.

Just minutes before his accidental entombment last Monday afternoon, he had been discussing an electrical problem with his colleague on the third floor when, with no sound or warning, the floor collapsed underneath them.

"I can see that split second when we fell down because I still remember looking at [my colleague] when I was still falling."...

Dozens of people were also removing the rubble by hand in a slow process. Many of those who were rescued first had been working on the top floors...

He could hear that the rescuers were close but every time they seemed to be getting nearer hours would pass and nothing would happen and it all felt too much, he says...

But alongside the relief, there were also the recurring feelings of guilt and sadness because a lot of people were still trapped inside – and some had died. The death toll now stands at 32.

Finally, after more than 28 hours under the rubble, Mr Safers was saved...

Questions now turn to the cause of the accident, and the authorities say an investigation is under way.

Mr Safers says he does not remember any indication that something might be wrong, but thinks that if it turns out that shortcuts were taken in the construction, then people “should be held responsible for the lives lost and the people who may never work or walk again”.