Johannesburg: The death toll has jumped to 63 in the fire that broke out in a multistorey building in downtown Johannesburg on Thursday. More than 43 people have been reported injured.
The Emergency Services spokesman Robert Mulaudzi said that a search and rescue operation was underway. Firefighters were moving through the building, Mulaudzi said. The team had pulled 63 bodies out so far, Mulaudzi said, adding that more people might be trapped inside.
The authorities also informed that at least one child was among the dead. As per the latest report, the fire had been largely extinguished, but smoke still seeped out of windows of the blackened building downtown.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Further details are awaited. (with Agency inputs)
