at least 41 people were injured by an explosionapparently occurred in underground gas pipelines in the center of the city of Johannesburg in northern South Africa, local authorities confirmed.
“The situation is completely under control, by our security forces and our emergency agencies,” the head of the Government of Gauteng province (where that city is located), Panyaza Lesufi, told local media.
Despite stressing that “the situation is bad”, Lesufi assured that no deaths have been recorded, for now. The causes of the accident are still under investigation.
Along the same lines, Russel Meiring, spokesman for the South African private ambulance service ER24, said that “reports so far indicate that no one suffered fatal injuries.”
An explosion ripped through Johannesburg’s central business district, killing one person and injuring dozens. The cause of the explosion has not yet been confirmed. pic.twitter.com/P1amEaRCzn
— Reuters (@Reuters) July 20, 2023
In images shared by the population on social networks, you can see huge cracks that opened up the Bree Street carriagewayas well as vehicles in an inverted position and with broken windows.
Although the causes of the explosion are not yet clear, South African media reported that technicians from the public energy company City Power were on their way to the site of the explosion to clarify the facts, when the smell of gas could still be noticed in the place.
(Keep reading: At least 17 killed in airstrike in Sudan’s capital.)
Emergency teams closed part of the dangerous street and have issued evacuation orders to residents of buildings near the incident area.
These events occurred two weeks after 17 people – including three children – died on July 5 from a gas leak that occurred in the informal settlement of Angelo, near the city of Boksburg, some thirty kilometers to the east. from Johannesburg.
Likewise, at least 41 people also died on December 24 in Boksburg due to the explosion of a gas tanker truck.
In Johannesburg, South Africa, a gas pipeline explosion under a major road left 41 injured. The cause of the explosion remains unclear. Just one more confirmation of my schoolchildren’s Theory of History – it’s just one damn thing after another.pic.twitter.com/THQz4ve9li
—Steve Hanke (@steve_hanke) July 20, 2023
EFE
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