Deadly fire rages at multi-storey building in Johannesburg
South Africa president Cyril Ramaphosa has said that the Johannesburg blaze that killed 74 people is “a wake up call” to address an inner-city housing crisis.
“This is a great tragedy felt by families whose loved ones perished in this awful manner, and our hearts go out to every person affected by this event,” he said.
More than 200 people were living in the building that was gutted by the blaze. Sniffer dogs searched the area on Friday.
Families were also living in the basement, which should have been used as a parking garage, said witnesses. Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda said 141 families were affected by the tragedy but could not say exactly how many people were in the building when the fire started.
Some of the people living in a maze of shacks and other makeshift structures inside the building threw themselves out of windows to escape the fire – one of the worst in South Africa’s history. Officials say that 12 children are among the dead.
