Sharjah 24 – AFP: A fire that tore through a five-storey building taken over for illegal housing killed more than 70 people including children in central Johannesburg overnight, the South African city's emergency services said Thursday.
An additional 52 were injured in what is on track to become one of the deadliest fires worldwide in recent years.
Bodies were discovered piled up at a security gate that was closed, preventing people from escaping the blaze, an official said.
City authorities said the municipality-owned building in a deprived, crime-ridden area had been turned into illegal housing after being abandoned.
Most of those living there were foreigners, one resident said.
"We have now 73 fatalities and 52 people injured who were transported to various healthcare facilities for further medical care," Emergency Management Services spokesman Robert Mulaudzi said.
At least seven children were among those killed, the youngest under two years old, he said. Some were left burned beyond recognition.
Blankets and sheets used for escape hung from the burned-out windows.
Witnesses spoke of parents throwing their babies out into the street, hoping to save them.
Emergency services laid dead bodies under blankets on the street outside.
It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze. House fires are fairly common in the country, plagued by chronic power outages, where many live in poverty.
Authorities said candles used for lighting inside the structure or stoves and other heating devices were a likely cause.
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