70 Killed As Fire Hits Johannesburg Migrants Building

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

JOHANNESBURG (Worthy News) – More than 70 people have died and scores were injured after a fire in an apartment block in South Africa’s city of Johannesburg, mainly used by migrants, officials confirmed Thursday.

The search and recovery of bodies continued by Thursday noon following one of the African nation’s deadliest blazes in living memory.

Emergency workers made horrific discoveries, saying among the at least 73 people killed were seven children while a further 52 were injured by Thursday noon.

The five-story building in the city center hit by the blaze was “hijacked” by squatters, most of them African migrants, according to authorities.

It remained unclear what had caused the deadly fire, and authorities warned that the death toll was likely to rise partly because of the poor, overcrowded conditions in which people lived.

“Over 20 years in the service, I’ve never come across something like this,” said Robert Mulaudzi, a spokesperson of the Emergency Management Services.

MANY IN BUILDING

There was an “informal settlement” inside the complex, Mulaudzi told media. “So there [are] a lot of informal structures inside the building. There is a lot of debris that we have to remove.”

As many as 200 people are thought to have lived in the building, reports suggested, though precise figures were difficult to calculate given the informal nature of the settlement.

Johannesburg, often just Joburg, is South Africa’s most populous city and chief economic hub.

Commentators said the fire illustrates some of the vast inequalities in South Africa—a legacy of colonialism and apartheid.

For years, the city had a dangerous reputation for violence and crime, especially in parts of the inner city for “hijacked” buildings or abandoned sites taken over by squatters.

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