2023-08-31 14:43:19
by Online Editor
One of the babies was only 18 months old. The building, declared unusable, was “managed” by gangs who rented rooms to migrants from other African countries. Dozens of people forced to live in small rooms
More than 73 people burned to death in the fire of an old five-story building in Johannesburg, the economic capital of South Africa, on a late winter night. It is the worst fire in Joburg’s history.
Among the victims there are also seven minors, one of them was only 18 months old, as confirmed by the spokesman for the emergency services, Robert Mulaudzi, reported by the BBC, who said he had “never seen anything like it”.
It is unclear how the building caught fire. The victims are largely “illegal” migrants from African countries: according to the authorities, the structure, declared unusable, was “managed” by gangs who rented rooms, with dozens of people forced to live in a single room to have a roof under which to sleep. 52 are the injured taken to hospital, 300 in all the displaced who, the authorities assure, will be “housed in another building owned by the municipality of Johannesburg”.
“It is a catastrophe for our country, which causes unimaginable pain and suffering to innocent people,” said the leader of the opposition Democratic Alliance party, John Steenhuisen, who asked the authorities to do more to prevent such a tragedy from happening. repeat. The appeal is to “unite for better and safer living conditions for all”.
Over the years, South Africa has become a refuge for thousands of immigrants, who seek their fortune by leaving even more devastated countries (such as neighboring Zimbabwe). But the economic crisis leaves little room for hope: Mandela’s country boasts an unemployment rate of 33%, the highest in the world.
August 31, 2023 (change August 31, 2023 | 14:42)
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