Families visit various mortuaries after Johannesburg fire

Families in Johannesburg, South Africa are looking for their loved ones in mortuaries after a very bad fire happened in a building, which is one of the worst in the country’s history.

At least 76 people died in the fire, including 12 kids.

Scared and very worried, a man from Malawi named Grif arrived at the Diepkloof morgue. He only told his first name.

There were a lot of bodies, some of them badly burned, and he found one of his two missing younger sisters.

The 26-year-old received a phone call early on Thursday morning about a fire. He quickly went to several hospitals in the city to search for Miriam and Fatima. After a few hours, he realized that he needed to look for something else.

On Friday, he started checking the morgues in the city and eventually went to Dieplkloof in Soweto, Johannesburg, where all the victims were taken.

He was standing outside a short building, crying and very tired. He told the BBC that he could recognize one of his sisters.

The word ‘lucky’ might not be suitable here, but the officials say that only 12 out of over 70 bodies can be recognized just by looking at them.

Grif said he will continue looking for his sister who is lost.

The two women lived together in a cramped and rundown five-story building in downtown Johannesburg. Grif lived in a place that was like the one close by.

It is believed that many of the victims are undocumented migrants who struggle to survive on the outskirts of South African society.

“Grif said he is feeling a lot of pain. ” And I’m afraid to share with my family. “It hurts a lot and there is nothing I can do. ”

Earlier today, the firefighters went back into the building to check if there were any more bodies.

We don’t know what caused the fire yet, but investigators are searching through the destroyed building to find out more.

The government said they will help all the victims, but it’s hard for many of them because they don’t have the right papers to be in the country. Some people are worried that if they speak up, they might be reported to the authorities.

According to Malawi’s foreign ministry, as reported by Reuters, it is believed that twenty people from Malawi have died.

Tanzania’s temporary leader, Peter Shija, stated that he has learned that five of his fellow Tanzanians passed away in the fire, and three others were hurt. He told a news broadcaster in South Africa called eNCA that 150 Tanzanians were living in the building before it caught on fire.

President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the central area of Johannesburg on Thursday evening. He said the tragic incident should make us realize that we need to start finding solutions for the housing situation in the city center.

The building used to be a safe place for women and children who were being hurt by others. But when the rental period ended, someone took control of it without permission, as President Ramaphosa told the journalists.

Several buildings near the location of the fire have been declared unsuitable for habitation.

However, these old buildings are left behind by their owners or the city authorities, and many families live in them. These families often have to pay rent to criminal gangs who control the buildings.

Some of the people who use the buildings are undocumented migrants, mainly from other African countries.

In many of these places, the living conditions are like shanty towns. The homes have weak walls, and there is hardly any access to water and electricity.

There are suggestions that a candle, paraffin stove, or a bad electricity connection could have caused the fire on Thursday.

The country is starting to come out of winter, and the nights in Johannesburg have been quite cold, with temperatures dropping to 4C.