More than 60 people have been reported dead and 50 injured in the fire that sparked off in a multi-storey building in central Johannesburg, South Africa.
Robert Mulaudzi, a spokesman for the emergency services in Johannesburg, said it is not clear what sparked off the fire in the five-storey building but warns that the death toll may rise further as more people could be trapped inside.
“There were “obstructions” everywhere, and this would have made it difficult to escape. but firefighters have been currently going from floor to floor, and as of 9 a.m. UK time, they had only worked their way through three of the building’s five storeys,” Mulaudzi stated.
He further noted that some of those inside when the fire began threw themselves out of windows to escape and may have fallen to their deaths, but the firefighters evacuated occupants, and bodies lay covered on the street.
Abandoned and rundown buildings are common in the area and are often used by African people who are desperately seeking accommodation, they are referred to Hijacked buildings.
