Johannesburg fire: survivors describe jumping from windows, as death toll rises to 74

Blaze at five-storey block puts spotlight on dangerous state of hijacked' city buildings occupied by vulnerable residents

Survivors of a fire that ripped through a building in Johannesburg described jumping out of windows to escape the flames, as questions were raised about the dilapidated and dangerous state of the informal dwellings housing poor economic migrants in the city.

The death toll rose to 74 on Thursday afternoon following the blaze that took hold in the early hours of the morning. Dozens more people were being treated for injuries in hospitals around the city.