63 dead in Johannesburg building inferno

Johannesburg, Aug 31 (IANS) At least 63 people were killed and 43 others injured on Thursday after a massive fire ripped through a five-storey building in Johannesburg, according to the South African city’s emergency services.

The emergency services said the fire was reported at around 1.30 a.m. on Thursday, CNN reported.

“At this stage the cause of the fire incident is still a subject of investigations. Officials from City of Johannesburg Disaster Management have been activated to start facilitating relief for affected families,” it said in a video

Videos circulating on social media show huge orange flames engulfing the lower floor of a building, and scores of people who appear to have fled outside.

In a series of tweets, emergency services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said multiple people were being treated and some had been transported to health care facilities, reports CNN.

The death toll in the Johannesburg Innercity fire incident has now risen to 63. More than 43 others were also injured, after a 5 storey building caught fire in the early hours of this morning. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/JMPmpy6hBp

— Sashin Naidoo (@Sashinn007) August 31, 2023

Meanwhile, South African state broadcaster SABC said that emergency services and firefighters are still working to douse the raging inferno.

--IANS

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