Explosion rocks Johannesburg: 41 injured, cars tossed as main road ruptures in suspected gas blast
Johannesburg yesterday was shaken by an explosion, disrupting a central part of the city located in the northern region of South Africa. The blast caused a significant rupture on a main tarmac road, and several vehicles, including a mini-bus, were hurled by the blast’s force. A reported 41 people were injured due to the incident.
Emergency services initially suggested that the cause of the blast came from an exploding underground gas pipe. However, Egoli Gas Company argued against this claim. They pointed out that there were no signs of a pressure drop in their network, indicating their gas pipelines were undamaged and gas supply remained uninterrupted in the area. An Egoli representative said…
“Our network did not register a pressure loss, which indicates our gas pipelines were not damaged and customers in the area are able to continue using the gas.”
Panyaza Lesufi, the Gauteng Provincial Minister, mentioned out of the injured, nine had to be treated at a hospital with two attaining serious injuries. An eyewitness to the event expressed feeling the ground shake before hearing a deafening noise, followed by the city’s road fragmenting, reported KhaoSod.
In a graphic representation of the event, police officers could be seen inspecting the damaged cars and cratered roads. A photo showed an overturned vehicle in Johannesburg’s central business district, where an assumed gas pipeline explosion had injured dozens and caused palpable damage.
Four weeks ago, an explosion at a busy Yinchuan barbecue restaurant in northwestern China last night claimed the lives of at least 31 people and left several injured.
A leak of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) was identified as the cause of the incident, and police are accelerating their investigations.
The explosion took place at Fuyang Barbecue Restaurant in Yinchuan’s downtown residential area. The catastrophe occurred on the eve of the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday.
The leaked LPG gas triggered the explosion during the operation of a barbecue restaurant, reported Xinhua News Agency. To read more click HERE
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