Death toll from building fire in South Africa's Johannesburg rises to 73

At least 73 people died in a devastating fire that broke out in a multi-story residential building within central Johannesburg, BBC reported on Thursday. More than 40 people have been injured in the fire that broke out in the Marshalltown area of the city.

Videos have emerged from the scene in which large orange coloured flames are consuming the lower levels of the five storey building. The fire broke out during the early hours of Thursday, Emergency Management Services (EMS) said.

Authorities have started a search-and-rescue operation as they expected the death toll to rise. The fire has now been largely extinguished after firefighters raced against time to control the flames. But black smoke can still be seen coming out of the building.

According to the local reports, around 200 people lived in the building, which is being termed as an ‘informal settlement’ providing shelter to the homeless people, as they continue their search for a permanent accommodation.

EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said that the building’s status as a homeless shelter has made it difficult for the authorities to account for those who are dead and missing, reason being they used to live here without a formal lease agreement.

There is at least one minor among the deal, Mulaudzi revealed.

“Over 20 years in the service, I’ve never come across something like this,” he added. Authorities said that the cause behind the massive fire is yet to be known.

EMS said that they are moving floor by floor to recover the bodies. They also said that the building will be handed over to the South African police once the rescue operation is over.

Though the city administration has confirmed that it owned the building, they claim that it was hijacked by cartels.

The neighbourhood where the building is located was once a business district of South Africa’s business hub. But recently the area has been ‘hijacked’, a term used for buildings which have been captured by the undocumented migrants, which come from other African countries.

After the fire, many social media users are criticising those who are using online attacks to spread discrimination against the victims and survivors, especially based on their origin.