74 people dead in Johannesburg by a fire blaze at city centre building
More than 50 others were injured.Officials say it is unclear what sparked the blaze at the city centre’s five-storey building, which had been abandoned but was occupied by homeless people.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called it a "tragedy", adding that the "unprecedented" incident was a "wake-up call".
In a news conference at the site of the fire, Mr Ramaphosa commended emergency services, who arrived at the scene 10 minutes after the fire was reported.
Ten of the bodies recovered from the fire were unidentifiable, a representative of the health department told the news conference.
Johannesburg city manager Floyd Brink said 200 families were affected by the fire and "all efforts" were taken to provide accommodation.
Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda said displaced survivors would have temporary accommodation for three days.
"After 72 hours, the human settlements department will advise on where they will be taken," Mr Gwamanda said in a statement.
Mr Ramaphosa said people who needed assistance, from accommodation to counselling, "will be looked after".
He hopes investigations into the fire will allow both communities and authorities to prevent a repeat of such a tragedy.
"It's a wake-up call for us to begin to address the situation of housing in the inner city," the South African president said.
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