In a few hours, more than 70 people lost their lives due to a fire that broke out in an apartment building owned by the city council. The victims who succumbed to smoke and flames in the five-storey building in Johannesburg also reportedly included homeless people. This incident is nothing less than the disaster that left the entire nation in agony, where people have already been suffering from poverty, homelessness and house fires. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also visited the site to assess the damage caused by the fire tragedy in Marshalltown, Johannesburg. Take a look at the following sections for more details about this devastating fire that killed at least 73 people and injured dozens of residents. Scroll down the page.
Cause of the Johannesburg fire and death toll
The South African government assessed the damage and expressed its condolences to the families of the victims. A statement from the South African government reads: “We are very saddened as a government by the passing of so many people here in Johannesburg. This is unprecedented. Johannesburg has never had an incident like this where so many people died as a result of a fire in the city centre. This is tragic, it is very sad and I want to convey my deepest condolences and that of the government to the families of those who died and those who are still in hospital.
The fire reportedly occurred early Thursday morning when emergency services were called. Even after many hours of the fire, the building, now blackened by soot, continued to burn. The City of Joburg Emergency Medical Service found the victims’ bodies piled on top of each other. They were covered in blankets. The five-story building where many people lived is owned by the city council.
One person who survived the incident was identified as Omar Arafat. He lost his 21-year-old sister in the accident but managed to escape. Arafat said: “I broke the window… and when I fell, I thought, ‘I’m dead.'” A provincial Forensic Pathology Services official named Thembalethu Mpahlaza confirmed that a total of 74 people have lost their lives, including 12 children and 24 women. In addition, he stated that more than 50 people have been treated for injuries. The sound of despair from the victims’ families was also heard by South African President Ramaphosa, who visited the site in the evening.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn