Over 70 killed as fire guts Johannesburg apartment block

Gulf Today Report

The death toll from a fire that engulfed a five-storey building in central Johannesburg on Thursday has risen to 74, the South African city's emergency services said.

"We're on 74 bodies, which we have recovered and also 43 people who sustained minor injuries," Emergency Management Services spokesman Robert Mulaudzi told a local broadcaster.

Emergency Management Services said another dozen people were injured in the blaze, which broke out in the predawn hours on Thursday.

Spokesman Robert Mulaudzi said a search and recovery operation was underway, and it was likely the death toll would rise.

Authorities said the fire had been largely extinguished, but smoke still seeped out of windows of the blackened building in downtown Johannesburg.

Women react after a deadly blaze in the early hours of the morning, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Reuters

Firefighters who were called to the scene had put out the flames.

The building had been evacuated and search and recovery operations were ongoing.

Television footage showed fire trucks and ambulances outside the red and white building with burned-out windows, which had been cordoned off by police.