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Indian origin man dies in South Africa Hindu temple collapse
The eThekwini municipality mentioned that no building plans for the temple were approved, making the construction illegal.
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Rwittika Chakraborty
- Mon, 15, Dec 2025
- 03:40 EST
- 18
Officials informed that initial rescue efforts were guided by cellphone calls from one of the trapped individuals. / X/@Abramjee
An Indian origin man, Jairaj Panday, was among the four people who died after a four-storey under-construction Hindu temple collapsed in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province.
The incident took place on Dec. 12 at the New Ahobilam Temple of Protection in Redcliffe, north of eThekwini, formerly Durban, while construction was ongoing and workers were present at the site.
Temple Collapse/Several Entrapments: Redcliffe - KZN
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) December 12, 2025
Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) is seeking immediate assistance from Rescue Teams in Kwazulu Natal (Friday 12:10).
A four (4) storey temple at River Range Ranch (RRR) in Redcliffe - KZN has collapsed with several… pic.twitter.com/fPyLhyrFzt
Two victims, including a construction worker and a devotee, were declared dead on Dec. 12, while the death toll increased to four the following day after rescue teams recovered remains from the debris.
Panday, 52, was an executive member of the temple trust, the manager of the construction project, and was reportedly involved in the temple's development, which started about two years ago.
In a statement, the eThekwini municipality mentioned that no building plans were approved for the project, making the construction illegal.
Reaction Unit South Africa spokesperson Prem Bairam told local media that rescue teams suspended operations the following afternoon due to cold weather after working to recover a fifth body that had been located.
Officials informed that initial rescue efforts were guided by cellphone calls from one of the trapped individuals. However, they lost contact with him late on Friday evening. The number of workers and temple officials potentially trapped under the rubble remains unknown.
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, visited the site and thanked the government and private teams involved in the rescue.
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