The bodies of three men were recovered in a gutted building in Eagle Road in Missionlands, KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday March 2. The charred bodies of the men, who are believed to be Malawian nationals, were burnt beyond recognition, with one man still unaccounted for.
Spokesman for the Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA), Prem Balram, said: “The family and friends of four men who failed to return home on Saturday morning went to their place of employment in search of them.
“Reaction Unit South Africa received a call for assistance after the search party peered through a window of the guttered building and noticed what appeared to be skeletal remains. Reaction officers and paramedics were immediately dispatched and on arrival confirmed the discovery was human remains. The eThekwini Fire and Rescue Services arrived shortly thereafter and located two more bodies. One person is still unaccounted for,” said Mr Balram.
According to relatives of the deceased, nine Malawian nationals were working the night shift at the furniture manufacturing business when the fire broke out at about 11.30pm on Friday March 1, said Mr Balram.
All exits and entrances had allegedly been locked by their employer at the start of their shift, making it impossible for the men to escape the inferno, he added. This information was provided by the survivors and could not be confirmed by reaction officers.
“Five of the employees jumped out of windows from the upper level of the building. They escaped with minor injuries,” said Mr Balram. “The body of the forth person killed in the fire has not been located as yet.”
The South African Police Service (SAPS) is investigating the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the charred remains at the business premises.
