THE death toll of people who died this morning has risen to 73 and could increase.
This follows a fire-break out in the Joburg Central Business District (CBD), in the five storey building in the early hours of this morning.
A total of 43 people are said to be injured, according to Johannesburg EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi who was at the scene, at the corner of Alberts and Delvers street.
Mulaudzi explained the building in question is a hijacked building that resembled an informal settlement inside.
“On arrival Firefighters started to evacuate all the people out of the building while conducting firefighting operations, 20 people were confirmed dead on the scene and 42 people were treated on scene and later transported to various health care facilities for further medical care.
“At this stage the cause of the fire incident is still a subject of investigations,” said Mulaudzi.
Officials from City of Johannesburg Disaster Management have been activated to start facilitating relief for affected families.”
Joburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda and Gauteng MEC for health, Nomantu Nkomo Ralehoko are at the scene and will also visit injured patients at the Helen Joseph hospital.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
Meanwhile, Mulaudzi further confirmed a tremor that hit parts of the city of Joburg on Wednesday evening.
“This was mostly reported in Roodepoort, Soweto and surrounding areas. Even though there are no major incidents, we remain on high alert to make sure that we are able to respond to any area which might have been affected by the tremor,” said Mulaudzi.
Image (Fire-fighters attending the scene where 73 people were confirmed dead this morning from a Five Storey Building in JHB CBD).
