Babies thrown from windows as at least 74 die in fire at Johannesburg apartment block used by homeless

Medics and emergency workers attend the scene of a deadly blaze in downtown Johannesburg. Photo: AP

Gerald Imray

A fire ripped through a run-down apartment building occupied mainly by homeless people and squatters in Johannesburg, forcing some to throw babies from third-storey windows in a desperate attempt to save them.

The blaze early yesterday morning left at least 74 people dead, witnesses and emergency services in South Africa’s biggest city said.