IN PICTURES | Bank of Lisbon building demolished
A series of spectacular pictures shows the last moments of the Joburg building that took the lives of three firefighters last year
Image: Antonio Muchave
A crowd of onlookers gathered in Johannesburg's city centre on Sunday morning to witness the demolition of the 31-storey Bank of Lisbon building that was declared unsafe after a deadly blaze swept through it last year, trapping and killing three firefighters.
Jabulile Sibeko, from Alberton on Johannesburg's East Rand, said it was an emotional moment to witness the collapse of the building.
“It is sad that a building that took so many years to build, can be demolished in less that five minutes.
“I have never seen an implosion before, so I brought my seven-year-old son and three-year-old daughter so that we can experience it together as a family.”
Below is a gallery of pictures depicting the building's last moments before it disappeared in a cloud of dust.