Tragedy in Johannesburg: 63 die after fire destroys five-story building

Tragedy and desolation in Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city, where a fire in a building  in the financial district has resulted in the deaths of many.

At the moment, 63 people have died and another 43 have been injured, according to the South African news portal News24.

The events took place in the early hours of  Thursday, August 31, around 1:30 a.m., when the fire started, as reported by the aforementioned media outlet.

At the moment, the causes of the fire are unknown but it has been confirmed that it is the deadliest fire in the city's recent history.

A spokesperson for Johannesburg Emergency Services confirmed to News24 that they have been able to evacuate almost all of the remaining occupants in the building.

However, Robert Mulaudzi, spokesperson for the city council, says that they can not rule out that the number of victims will increase, as search and rescue efforts continue.

As reported by The Guardian Mulaudzi said that there was an “informal settlement” inside the five-storey building, “So there [are] a lot of informal structures inside the building. There is a lot of debris that we have to remove.”

Furthermore, Robert Mulaudzi did not want to give too much hope to those who have missing relatives in the building, given the harsh reality of what they have found so far.

"The chances of finding them alive are very slim," he said in a statement sent from the Johannesburg City Council. Thanks to social media, the City Council has kept citizens informed.

While the search efforts continue, some residents have started protests outside the building but those present are not sure what specifically the protests are about.