LILONGWE, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- At least 20 Malawians who were living in South Africa are reported to have died in the fire that engulfed a five-story building in Johannesburg Thursday, South African media and Malawian authorities have confirmed.
South African television, eNCA, reported Thursday that among the 74 bodies that were found, 20 bodies were of Malawians.
The development has also been confirmed by Malawian High Commissioner to South Africa Stella Ndau, who told Friday's Daily Times, a Malawian paper, that those affected were the ones staying in Johannesburg's Inner City, Corner Alberts and Delvers.
The Malawians killed, including four members of one family, were mainly from Malawi's eastern border districts, Mangochi and Machinga, according to an audio from a Malawian in South Africa that is making rounds on social media, listing the names of the deceased, and their home addresses.
International media have quoted South African authorities to have described the building that caught fire as one "abandoned" by the landlord and "hijacked" by gangs who leased it to migrants and South Africans without homes. ■
