Indian-Origin Temple Trustee Among Four Killed in Hindu Temple Collapse in South Africa

A 52-year-old Indian-origin man is among four people who lost their lives after a four-storey Hindu temple under construction collapsed in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, officials said.

The incident occurred on Friday at the New Ahobilam Temple of Protection, located on a steep hillside in Redcliffe, north of eThekwini (formerly Durban). The temple was undergoing expansion when a section of the structure suddenly gave way while workers were present at the site.

While two fatalities — a construction worker and a devotee — were confirmed on Friday, the death toll rose to four on Saturday as rescue teams recovered additional bodies from beneath the rubble. The exact number of people who may still be trapped remains unclear.

One of the deceased has been identified as Vickey Jairaj Panday, an executive member of the temple trust and the manager overseeing the construction project, according to local media reports citing officials. Panday had been closely associated with the temple’s development since its inception nearly two years ago.

Sanvir Maharaj, director of Food for Love, a charitable organisation linked to the temple, also confirmed Panday’s death.

Rescue operations continued for two days, but efforts to retrieve a fifth body detected under the debris were suspended on Saturday afternoon due to adverse weather conditions. Reaction Unit South Africa spokesperson Prem Balram said it could not be confirmed whether more individuals remained trapped beneath the rubble.

The temple, designed to resemble a cave, was being constructed using rocks imported from India as well as material excavated on site. The family behind the project had claimed the structure would eventually house one of the world’s largest idols of Lord Nrsimhadeva.

In a statement, the eThekwini municipality said that no building plans had been approved for the project, indicating that the construction may have been illegal.

Officials said initial rescue efforts were guided by mobile phone calls from one of the trapped individuals, but communication stopped late on Friday night. KwaZulu-Natal’s Provincial Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, visited the site on Saturday and assured that rescue operations would continue as long as required.

He also expressed gratitude to both government and private rescue teams involved in the operation, including a specialised dog unit brought in from the Western Cape.

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