More than 70 people lost their lives in a fire that broke out in a residential building owned by the municipality in a few hours. According to reports, among the victims were homeless people who succumbed to the smoke and flames in a five-storey building in Johannesburg. This incident is nothing less than a disaster that has left the entire nation in agony where people are already suffering from poverty, homelessness and house fires. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also visited the scene to assess the damage from the Marshalltown fire tragedy in Johannesburg. Check out the following sections for more details on this devastating fire that killed at least 73 people and injured dozens of residents. Scroll down the page.
The cause of the fire in Johannesburg and the death toll
The South African government assessed the damage and expressed its condolences to the families of the victims. A statement from the South African government reads: “We as a government are very saddened by the departure of so many people here in Johannesburg. This is unprecedented. Johannesburg has never had an incident like this where so many people died as a result of a fire in the center of the city. This is tragic, this is very sad and I want to express my condolences and the condolences of the government to the families of those who died and those who are still in hospital.
The fire was raging early Thursday morning when emergency services were called. Even many hours after the fire, the now soot-blackened building smouldered. City of Joburg emergency services found the victims’ bodies stacked on top of each other. They were covered with blankets. The five-story building in which many people lived is owned by the municipality.
The person who survived the incident was identified as Omar Arafat. He lost his 21-year-old sister in the accident, but managed to escape. Arafat said: “I broke the window… and when I fell, I was like ‘dead’,” A provincial official of the Forensic Pathology Service named Thembalethu Mpahlaza confirmed that a total of 74 people lost their lives, including 12 children and 24 women . He further stated that more than 50 people received help for their injuries. The sound of despair of the victims’ families was also heard by South African President Ramaphosa, who visited the scene in the evening.
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Source: HIS Education