South African authorities say 10 people were killed and around 40 injured in a fuel tank explosion in Boksburg, about 40km east of Johannesburg.
According to firefighters, the tank carrying liquefied petroleum gas became stuck under a bridge near a hospital and homes on Saturday morning.
“Our personnel rushed to put out the fire, but unfortunately the tank exploded,” said William Ntlady, spokesman for the area fire department.
In this six-second footage, it clearly demonstrates the extent of the tanker explosion and the fatalities likely to have occurred as a result of today’s explosion #Boksburg explosion.#South Africa #Gauteng #Tambo pic.twitter.com/TDpTCvYq7T
Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (@gchahal) December 24, 2022
He added that among the injured was the driver who was taken to hospital, noting that the death toll had risen to 10 after previously reporting 9.
He added that half of the injured are in serious condition, while 15 people are in stable condition despite serious injuries, noting that 6 firefighters suffered minor injuries.
Video clips circulating on social media platforms showed the moment of a huge explosion and a huge fireball erupting from the tank under a bridge that was clearly too low for the tank to pass.
Incredible Scenes: 8 people were killed and around 50 others were injured when a gas tanker truck scraped off the top of its roof, got stuck under a bridge and exploded today just outside Tambo Memorial Hospital in Boksburg. The driver’s whereabouts are unknown. VID: Provided #BoksburgExplosion pic.twitter.com/stc0g4Y5LB
—Graeme Raubenheimer (@GraemeRauby) December 24, 2022
The tank, which came from the southeast of the country, carried 60,000 liters of liquefied gas, mainly used in ovens and stoves.
Witness Jean-Marie Boysen described what happened as a “major concussion” in the early morning hours.
“Today is a very sad day indeed in our little suburb,” he said, as he stood by the forensic team examining the site.
“I went upstairs for a cup of tea and saw the huge flames and thought the house was on fire,” she added.
