Emergency service officials are continuing their search and recovery efforts following a fire at a building in Marshalltown that claimed at least 73 lives.
A blaze ripped through the hijacked building in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Seven children are among those who lost their lives in the inferno, and more than 50 people were being treated at nearby hospitals.
Authorities spent most of Thursday searching through debris of the five-storey building with many still unaccounted for.
Shattered windows, scorched walls, and debris were all that was left of what used to be home to more than 200 people.
Joburg Emergency Services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said firefighters were yet to access the fifth floor.
“We don’t know at the end of the day how many bodies we can recover, but that number might actually increase.”
As authorities continued their search, a weeping mother could be seen sitting on the floor hoping her daughter was not among the bodies scattered outside the building.
She pleaded with officials from the forensic services to allow her to glance at the bodies in search of her firstborn child.
Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa conveyed his condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones in the fire.
Speaking at the Women in Law Enforcement Parade in Gqeberha on Thursday afternoon, Ramaphosa said his heart goes out to every person affected by the disaster.
“My thoughts are also with households and individuals who have lost the places where they live, their accommodation, and their possessions in this terrible incident. This is a great tragedy felt by families with loved ones who perished in this terrible manner.”
-EWN
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