At least ten people died and around 40 others were injured in the explosion of a gas tanker in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg, emergency services announced on Saturday December 24. The injured driver was taken to hospital.
Early in the morning, the truck got stuck under a bridge, near a hospital and houses, in a residential area. “We received a call around 7:50 a.m. The firefighters left to put out the start of a fire. Unfortunately, the truck then exploded”William Ntladi, spokesperson for the emergency services in this area, told Agence France-Presse.
Amateur videos circulating on social media show a huge fireball exploding below the bridge. The tank truck was probably too high to pass through this place.
It was filled with 60,000 liters of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), used in particular for cookers, and came from the south-east of the country, added William Ntladi.
Of the forty injured, half are in serious condition, 15 others are seriously affected but in stable condition, while six firefighters were slightly injured, the spokesman said.