Forty-one people have died due to the Boksburg gas tanker explosion, according to Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi.
The tanker carrying liquid petroleum gas exploded after getting stuck beneath a low-lying bridge in the Plantation neighborhood. Lesufi added that the investigation was finished, and the docket had been sent to the proper decision-making authorities.
Lesufi issued a brief statement on Twitter on Wednesday to provide an update on the explosion on Christmas Eve.
The Gauteng Department of Health held a healing service last week in honor of the 12 medical personnel from Tambo Memorial Hospital who perished in the explosion.
Boksburg Tanker Explosion Death: Case Update
On Wednesday, Panyaza Lesufi, the premier of Gauteng, announced that there had now been 41 fatalities associated with the Boksburg explosion.
Numerous people suffered critical injuries when a gas tanker exploded under a low-lying railroad bridge in Plantation on Christmas Eve. Infrastructure was also harmed by the explosion, which also partially destroyed the Tambo Memorial Hospital. Lesufi sent his sympathies to all the affected families once more.
Eyewitness Michael Kulinji told the news agency Reuters that he had seen the Fire under the bridge and that the explosion had more of a bomb-like sound.
Jean Marie Booysen, another witness, reported seeing enormous flames at around 06:35 local time and estimating the intensity to be 6.5 on the Richter scale.
2 People Are Still Missing After The Boksburg Tanker Explosion
As the search for missing people and body parts continues, the area around the damaged Boksburg Bridge, where a gas tanker exploded on Christmas Eve, is still off-limits.
A gas tanker stuck under a short bridge exploded into a Fire, killing 37 people.Twelve of those who passed away were workers at the nearby Tambo Memorial Hospital, which was also damaged. Numerous other people suffered injuries and needed medical attention. Four firefighters are among those who are still receiving medical care in the hospital.
William Ntladi, the spokesman for Ekurhuleni Emergency Services, advises motorists to stay away from the vicinity of the damaged bridge and take alternate routes. He claimed that because it is not on top of the bridge connecting the hospital street to the railway street, they have permitted a one-way entrance to the hospital.
So they could construct a fence and barrier to direct cars entering the hospital. However, it is strictly forbidden to move vehicles or people on the actual site of the explosion under the bridge.
How Did The Explosion Occur?
On Saturday morning in Boksburg city, the tanker appeared to have become stuck under a low bridge about 100 meters from Tambo Memorial Hospital.
After the explosion, a portion of the roof in the hospital’s casualty area collapsed, requiring the evacuation of patients. There was liquid petroleum gas in the truck. According to William Ntladi, a spokesman for emergency services, a gas tanker drove under the subway bridge, got stuck there, and caught Fire due to friction.
An enormous second explosion seen on amateur video occurred as firefighters worked to put out the Fire and destroyed a Fire engine and two cars.