Johannesburg – Some were severely injured when they jumped out of windows of the burning five-storey building, others were trapped and burnt beyond recognition and yet many suffered smoke inhalation.
On Thursday, the dilapidated building located at the corner of Delvers and Alberts Streets in Marshalltown, caught alight in the early hours of the morning.
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The horror that unfolded has been described by firefighters as the worst in living memory.
The charred remains of at least 74 people were recovered from the burnout building.
Gauteng authorities on Saturday revealed that the number of the dead had gone up after some hospitalised people succumbed to their injuries.
“Sadly, three patients have since demised in hospital with the third one declared today, (2 September 2023),” the Gauteng Department of Health (GdoH) said.
“This brings the number of people who have passed away from the incident to 77.”
The GDoH said by Saturday evening 58 post-mortems had been completed.
Pathologists still have 16 post-mortems to perform.
“There are 62 unidentifiable bodies at the Diepkloof Forensic Pathology Services mortuary and 12 indefinable corpses,” the GDoH said.
“To date, 40 families have presented at the facility to report their loved ones which has resulted in a line list of 66 names that possibly perished in the fire being developed.
“Nine families have already identified their loved ones from the 12 identifiable bodies.”
More families have reported missing loved ones who might have perished in the fire.
The GDoH said once the families conclude the necessary processes and produce the required identification documents the mortal remains will be handed over to them for burial.
The South African Police Service Victim Identification Centre has been hard at work.
“So far, 43 DNA samples have been taken from the 74 bodies with 13 Antemortem swabbing (DNA samples for families) linking to 23 of the unidentifiable people have been done,” said the GDoH.
“Antemortem samples will only be taken from the siblings or the parents of the deceased.
The GDoH said samples taken from the deceased and from family members will be cross-referenced to see if they match to positively identify the remains.
Counselling and support counselling services continue to be provided on-site at the Diepkloof FPS mortuary through the clergy and GDoH psychologists.
The Gauteng Provincial Government has provided a hotline number to assist family members in locating their loved ones.
Enquiries can be made through the toll-free hotline number on 0800 203 886 or direct line during office hours on 0113553048/0112415707.
