Ten burnt beyond recognition in Marshalltown building fire

At least 10 of the people who died in the Johannesburg CBD blaze on Thursday morning were burnt beyond recognition, says the Gauteng health department. 

By Thursday evening, it had placed the death toll at 74. Of the deceased, 12 are children.

The department said 40 of the deceased were males and 24 were females. The gender of the other 10 is yet to be determined. 

The department said families of the victims will be able to identify their loved ones at the Gauteng Forensic Pathology Service (FPS) mortuary in  Diepkloof from Friday morning. 

"A family member or relative who wishes to identify their loved one should have their original identity document (ID), ID of the deceased or birth certificate if the deceased is a child." 

It said if the deceased was a foreign national, a passport, asylum seeker certificate or a letter from the country of origin confirming who the deceased was and to whom the remains should be handed over to was needed.  

The mortuary is located at number 2 Collinder Road, Diepkloof, Soweto. The mortuary will also be open at the weekend from 9am to 3pm.  

 The department's counselling services will be offered to the bereaved families. 

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