Officials Slam Fake News on Decomposed Bodies Found in Pretoria Building’s Lift Shaft

• The City of Tshwane Emergency Services Department has refuted claims that there were at least 10 to 13 bodies found
• Tshwane Emergency Services firefighters found two decomposed bodies in a lift shaft of a building in Pretoria
• The department responded to a call to assist the SAPS in rescuing a man who'd fallen through the shaft into the building's basement

The City of Tshwane Emergency Services Department has urged locals not to spread false information regarding the bodies found in an abandoned building in Pretoria.

“The City of Tshwane Emergency Services Department would like to refute claims that emergency services and law enforcement agencies recovered 10 bodies suspected to be of nyaope boys in a building situated on the corner of Bosman and Pretorius Street in the Pretoria inner city on 14 May.

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“In a TikTok video widely circulated on various social media platforms, a voice of a woman could be heard saying: "It is unclear how many bodies were recovered, but people on the streets say that it is 10 to 13 bodies that is being recovered from the scene.”

The voice continues to say that:

"Some people go as far to say that there were bones recovered”.

Watch the video below:

An injured individual found in a life shaft

Tshwane Emergency Services Department spokesperson Charles Mabaso recounted the events that led to the grim discovery.

He stated that at 4.32am, authorities received a call reporting a building ablaze at the location. However, upon the firefighters' arrival, it became apparent that the building was not engulfed in flames.

Instead, the focus shifted to a man who had tragically fallen down the lift shaft to the basement.

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In a post on X, a video noted that firefighters swiftly responded, cutting an opening in a basement garage door and utilising a step ladder to reach the injured individual.

The victim was rescued and received immediate medical attention before being transported to a nearby hospital. He was in a stable condition.

Bodies in the abandoned building

However, responders were met with a chilling sight amid the rescue operation.

While scouring the lift shaft, they discovered the bodies of two individuals in an advanced state of decomposition, submerged in the water.

Charles Mabaso emphasised the gravity of the situation, noting that local law enforcement promptly deemed the scene a crime scene.

With the mysterious circumstances surrounding the presence of the bodies, authorities have launched a thorough investigation to ascertain the identities of the deceased and the events leading to their demise.

The community remains shocked as the investigation unfolds, grappling with the unsettling discovery.

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Three people linked to alleged property hijacking syndicate

Previously, Briefly News reported that a suspected property hijacking syndicate had been uncovered in the south of Johannesburg, and three people accused of involvement in it were arrested by police on Friday.

The group illegally occupied and operated properties in Booysens, which forms part of the greater Johannesburg metropolitan area and has long been a breeding ground for the occupation of abandoned buildings.

Source: Briefly News