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Four die in Cape Town backpacker blaze
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by Miriam Mannak | May 15, 2009 at 12:24 am
707 views | 76 Recommendations | 8 comments
By Miriam Mannak
A massive fire that erupted in a backpackers hostel in the heart of Cape Town has killed four people and has injured at least seven travelers. Most guests were African residents, who were in town to work or study.
Five people, all Somalians, were admitted to a local hospital, of whom one was in serious condition. Suffering from facial burns, the rescue authorities said he would be transferred to a hospital specialised in burn wounds.
The police has not yet disclosed the nationality of those who died.The bodies will only be removed after the building, which was completely gutted, is safe to enter.
The hostel was full when the fire broke out, which according to the police was 5 am this morning. Some of the in total seventy guests had to jump out of the windows to save their lives, other managed to escape the inferno through the doors.
To determine the cause of the fire, forensics and arson experts are to be called in to see what had happened.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (8)
at 01:51 on May 15th, 2009
this is tragic. Were there no fire alarm or even fire escapes in Place?
at 02:30 on May 15th, 2009
Probably not. I heard one guy saying he had to jump out of window, onto a balcony to escape ..
at 06:20 on May 15th, 2009
Which hostel was it?
at 07:04 on May 15th, 2009
This annoys me to think of the young people who travel and use hostels where was the health and safety policy,or indeed was there one.Young lives are often wasted through the greed of propietors or managers of such facilities. Who think it will not happen here.God bless the people who were robbed of their lives.
at 11:45 on May 15th, 2009
It was the Two Ocean Hostel ...
at 07:00 on May 16th, 2009
This is so sad, what a tragedy
at 20:43 on May 16th, 2009
This is terrible news. A group of people in grad school with me are actually en route to Cape Town for summer internships. It's so terrifying to think that it could have been them staying in that hostel.
My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.
at 07:08 on July 30th, 2009
My friend is totally traumatized. Her husband travel to <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />Cape Town the same week and now he is missing. There’s speculation that he was in the same area when the hostel burned down. Whether he was staying there or whether he was visiting someone, I really don’t know. This is horrible.