As many as 63 people died in a massive fire in a multi-story residential building in South Africa’s Johannesburg.

Emergency Management Services said another 43 people were injured in the blaze, which that broke out in the predawn hours on Thursday, news agency Associated Press reported.

Authorities said the fire has been largely extinguished and search and rescue operation was underway, and it was likely the death toll would rise.

Firefighters and emergency vehicles were on the scene, while bodies lay covered on a street near the site of the deadly blaze, Reuters reported.

According to an Emergency service official Robert Mulaudzi, the building was effectively an “informal settlement” where homeless people had moved in looking for accommodation without any formal lease agreements. That made it hard to search the building, he added.

It is estimated that there might have been as many as 200 people living in the building.

The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage are yet to be ascertained.

Source: India Today 

BDST: 1244 HRS, AUG 31, 2023
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