At least 73 killed in Johannesburg building fire

A South African television station reported that the number had climbed to 12 children dead, although emergency services did not immediately confirm that.

Firefighters extiguish a fire in a building in Johannesburg on August 31, 2023. More than 60 people have died in a fire that engulfed a five-storey building in central Johannesburg on August 31, 2023 the South African city's emergency services said. Picture: MICHELE SPATARI/AFP via Getty Images

At least 73 people have died in a fire in a multi-storey building, believed to have been used by homeless people, in South Africa’s biggest city, emergency services said.

Some of the people may have died after they threw themselves out of windows to escape the blaze, a local government official said.