At least 63 dead in fire at a building in Johannesburg

More than 60 people died and 43 were injured in a fire in a multi-story building in Johannesburg, South Africa. Search and recovery operations are underway and the death toll is expected to rise. Smoke still seeps from the blackened building.

The death toll from a fire that engulfed a five-storey building in central Johannesburg on Thursday has risen to 63, the South African city’s emergency services said.

“We are now on 63 fatalities and 43 people injured who were transported to various healthcare facilities,” said Emergency Management Services spokesman Robert Mulaudzi.

A search and recovery operation was underway and firefighters were moving through the building, Mulaudzi said. The team had pulled 63 bodies out so far, he said, adding that more people might be trapped inside.

At least one child was among the dead, Mulaudzi said.

Authorities said the fire had been largely extinguished, but smoke still seeped out of windows of the blackened building downtown. Strings of sheets and other materials also hung out of some of the windows. It was not clear if people had used those to try and escape the fire or if they were trying to save their possessions.

Mr. Mulaudzi said the building was effectively an “informal settlement” where homeless people had moved in looking for accommodation without any formal lease agreements. He said that made it hard to search the building.