JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Three people, including a one-year-old child, died when a two-story building collapsed in South Africa’s Soweto township, west of Johannesburg, in the early hours of Sunday morning, authorities said.
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Three others sustained injuries during the incident and were receiving treatment at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
According to authorities, a total of six people were inside the building when it collapsed and emergency personnel rescued the three people injured who were trapped under the rubble.
[MEDIA STATEMENT] Minister Dean Macpherson expresses his deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives, and to all those injured, following the tragic collapse of a double-storey building in Doornkop, Johannesburg. pic.twitter.com/fUBttM1ubB
— Department Of Public Works and Infrastructure (@DepartmentPWI) December 28, 2025
“Tragically, three lives were lost in this incident, two adult females and one child. The incident has been handed over to the relevant authorities for further investigation,” said Xolile Khumalo, spokesperson for Johannesburg Emergency Management Services.
On Dec. 12, five people died when a multistory building at the site of a Hindu temple collapsed near the coastal city of Durban.
The building was being constructed on top of the temple in the town of Verulam, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) north of Durban, when it collapsed.
One person was reported dead at the time, but search teams later pulled four more bodies from the rubble, bringing the death toll to five.