Johannesburg fire: Fresh search for victims in South Africa

South African firefighters person gone backmost wrong the Johannesburg gathering destroyed by occurrence connected Thursday to spot if they tin find immoderate much bodies.

The blaze, successful the overcrowded and condemned five-storey building, claimed 74 lives, including 12 children.

The occurrence work says it wants to beryllium definite that no-one has been near behind.

The origin of the occurrence remains chartless but forensic investigators are besides astatine the tract picking done the charred remains of the burnt-out building.

Relatives who judge that household members whitethorn person been among the victims of the occurrence person been asked to sojourn the mortuary to assistance place the bodies.

Visiting the country successful cardinal Johannesburg connected Thursday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa called the calamity a "wake-up telephone for america to statesman to code the concern of lodging successful the interior city".

The gathering utilized to beryllium a location for abused women and children, but erstwhile the lease expired, it was "hijacked", President Ramaphosa explained to reporters.

Many properties astir the country wherever the blaze happened person been deemed unfit to unrecorded in.

Yet these aged blocks, abandoned by their owners oregon the metropolis authorities, are afloat of families, often paying rent to transgression gangs who tally them.

Some of those who usage the buildings see undocumented migrants, mostly from different African countries.