New Delhi, Dec. 17 -- The death toll in last week's building collapse at the site of a Hindu temple in South Africa has risen to five, and investigators have launched a probe into the cause of the disaster, authorities said Monday.

The multistory building was being constructed on top of the temple in the eastern town of Verulam, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) north of Durban, when it collapsed Friday, and authorities confirmed one person dead at the time.

Search teams pulled four more bodies from the rubble over the weekend, bringing the death toll to five, said KwaZulu Natal's provincial police spokesperson, Col. Robert Netshiunda. Authorities did not disclose names of victims, nor say how many additional people are believed trapped in...