In flames 5-story building wrapped in the Johannesburgwith at least 73 people dying from it fire and the authorities to estimate that unfortunately their number may increase, while there is no accurate picture of how many resided there.
According to the agency Reutersthe fire broke out on Wednesday night (30/8), however it took 12 hours for the authorities to have an idea of the situation, as the flames had not been brought under control.
The building is owned by the council, which leased it to a displaced women’s charity, but it “ended up serving a different purpose”, with drug cartels suspected of collecting rent from the flats.
The president Cyril Ramaphosa said he hopes an ongoing investigation into the cause of the fire will help prevent a similar tragedy in the future.
THE Leo, a 25-year-old fire survivor, lived on the second floor of the building. He escaped with his mother down the stairs. “People were just running. It was dark and there was smoke. You couldn’t see anything,” he said characteristically.
Also, the Thando le Nkosi Manzinia student who saw the fire from the street, reported that “I saw a guy jump from the fourth floor.”
The city government said at least 73 people died and 43 were injured in the fire, while Lebogang Isaac Maile, the head of human settlements for Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg, said some of those burned to death they may have been rented by criminal gangs who collected illegal rent.
“There are cartels that prey on vulnerable people. Because some of these buildings, if not most of them, are actually in the hands of those cartels who collect rents from the people,” he told reporters.
Associated Press photos follow:
Source: News Beast
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