Johannesburg, Aug 31 (EFE).- At least 63 people died and 43 were injured in a fire that broke out early Thursday in a building in the South African city of Johannesburg, authorities said.
Fire crews, emergency staff and police gather at the site of a fire that broke out at a five-story building in the city center, in Johannesburg, South Africa, 31 August 2023. EFE-EPA/KIM LUDBROOK
“Firefighters are currently attending to a building on fire” in central Johannesburg, the spokesperson of the city’s Emergency Management Services, Robert Mulaudzi, posted on social media platform X.
Fire crews, emergency staff and police gather at the site of a fire that broke out at a five-story building in the city center, in Johannesburg, South Africa, 31 August 2023. EFE-EPA/KIM LUDBROOK
“63 bodies (have been) recovered and 43 injured” according to the latest count, he said, adding that search and recovery operations were ongoing.
Fire crews, emergency staff and police gather at the site of a fire that broke out at a five-story building in the city center, in Johannesburg, South Africa, 31 August 2023. EFE-EPA/KIM LUDBROOK
The spokesperson told local media that firefighters were alerted to the fire at a five-story building around 1:30 am.
Fire crews and emergency staff stand next to the covered bodies of the victims as they gather at the site of a fire that broke out at the five-story building in the city center, in Johannesburg, South Africa, 31 August 2023. EFE-EPA/KIM LUDBROOK
Among the victims is a girl child believed to be between one and two years old, he added.
Mulaudzi said that the firefighters were able to evacuate those inside the building as soon as they arrived.
He added that the fire had already been contained and that the firefighters were in the process of extinguishing it.
This is the third building fire in Johannesburg in recent months, according to local media reports. EFE
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