By Antoinette Radford for the BBC
Firefighters extinguish a fire that engulfed a five-storey building in central Johannesburg on 31 August, 2023. Photo: Michele Spatari / AFP
At least 74 people - including 12 children - have died after a fire broke out in a block of flats in Johannesburg, South African authorities say.
More than 50 others were injured.
Johannesburg officials say it is unclear what sparked the blaze at the five-storey building in the city centre.
A spokesman for the emergency services, Robert Mulaudzi, told the BBC that firefighters had been able to bring out some of the occupants.
He said the fire had gutted the building, and that the search for other victims was continuing.
"We are moving floor by floor conducting these body recoveries," Mulaudzi told local broadcaster ENCA.
A video posted to the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, by Mulaudzi showed fire trucks and ambulances outside the building with burnt out windows.
@CityofJoburgEMS Firefighters are currently attending to a building on fire in @CityofJoburgZA CBD corner Delvers, Alberts street at this stage 10 people confirmed dead and multiple patients treated on scene transported to various health care facilities for further medical care pic.twitter.com/20b6NXaHvF
— Cojems Spokesperson (@RobertMulaudzi) August 31, 2023
Photos from the scene showed covered bodies lined up near the burned building.
The building is located in what was formerly a business district in South Africa's economic hub. It was being used as an informal settlement, Mulaudzi said.
Local reports suggest the occupants of the building were mostly migrants from other African countries.
- This story was first published by the BBC
