JOHANNESBURG - A fire in a five-story building in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa’s commercial capital, left at least 52 people dead, city officials said.
The blaze in the illegally occupied building, which erupted in the central business district overnight, also left 43 people injured, the municipality said in a statement on Thursday. Multiple people are being treated at the scene, it said.
"We have recovered 52 bodies and 43 people who were injured have been transported to various healthcare facilities," Johannesburg Emergency Management Services spokesman Robert Mulaudzi told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika.
"We are moving floor by floor conducting these body recoveries," Mulaudzi said, adding the death toll was expected to rise.
The cause of the fire is unknown, the Johannesburg EMS said in an earlier statement.
A firefighter works at the scene of a deadly blaze, in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Thursday. (Photo: Reuters)
Search and rescue operations are under way and police will begin their investigations once the emergency services complete their work in the area.
The fire comes a month after a gas explosion left one person dead, and several others injured, while also causing damage to infrastructure in the inner city.
The building, which has been evacuated, is located in a deprived area of what used to be the business district of South Africa's economic hub, and was used as an informal settlement, Mulaudzi said.
