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Johannesburg CBD Fire: Gauteng Government Nears Identification of Deceased Undocumented Migrants
The Gauteng government is reporting significant progress in the challenging task of identifying the deceased undocumented migrants and repatriating them after they died in the Marshalltown fire. This fire, which occurred in August, swept through a hijacked building in the Johannesburg inner city, resulting in the tragic loss of 77 lives, most of whom were foreign nationals, as per EWN.
To aid in the identification process, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has taken a noteworthy step by linking its digital fingerprint database with Gauteng’s Forensic Pathology Services. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi explained that this collaboration is instrumental in resolving the complexities of identifying individuals who were severely burned and rendered unrecognizable by the fire.
Also read: Investigation into Johannesburg Fire Begins in October with Two-Part Commission of Inquiry
Lesufi elaborated, “You have a person that leaves their home country as name X, they reside in, say, KwaZulu-Natal, change their name, they go to Free State, change their name, they come to Gauteng, they have a different name, and when a disaster like this hits you have four people who want to claim the same body, but they have different names.”
This integration of digital fingerprint data aims to streamline the process and provide clarity in identifying and ultimately repatriating deceased migrants to their respective home countries, offering some solace to grieving families.
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Picture: X / GautengHealth
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