Fourty seven people have died in a fire that burnt down a five-story building in central Johannesburg on Thursday.


According to the South African city's emergency services, more than 40 others have been injured.

Speaking to AFP, the Emergency Management Services spokesman Robert Mulaudzi said, it was not immediately clear what caused the blaze, which broke out overnight.

"Right now, we have about 20 people who lost their lives and 43 injured," Mulaudzi said.

The flames were extinguished by the firefighters who were dispatched to the scene.

After the building was evacuated, search and rescue efforts were still in progress.

Fire engines and ambulances could be seen outside the red and white building with burned-out windows, which police had roped off, in a television video.