The death toll from the explosion of a tanker truck this Saturday morning near the South African city of Johannesburg rose to 15, according to the latest data confirmed today by the country's health minister, Joe Phaahla.
"It is a truly sad day, not only for our province, but for our country," the head of Government of the Gauteng province, Panyaza Lesufi, said in statements collected this Sunday by local media.
About fifty people were injured, as reported on Saturday by the emergency services of the metropolitan district of Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, where Boksburg is located, the town where the explosion took place, after the tanker truck got stuck under a bridge. and the friction with the upper part of the vehicle will cause the fire.
"Apparently a (liquefied petroleum) gas tanker truck drove under the bridge... and got stuck, and due to friction, caught fire," emergency services spokesman William Ntladi said.
According to Ntladi, six fire units went to extinguish the flames, but while they were trying to do so, a second explosion occurred, which also affected the surrounding buildings.
In this sense, fires broke out in two houses and the Tambo Memorial Hospital was also affected, located about 100 meters from the incident, where some victims were initially taken, although they later had to be evacuated when part of the roof of the hospital collapsed. emergency room.
"The explosion hit our emergency room in such a way that patients had to be evacuated... Bystanders have been injured, including some of our workers," the medical center's executive director, Zenzo Ndabula, said on Saturday.
According to Joe Phaahla, the 15 dead included minors and three hospital employees, while a family lost up to four members in the explosion.
