One person has died, and two others were critically injured in a chemical explosion this afternoon on Balfour Road, Wentworth, Durban.

Initial reports indicate that a gas bottle stored by a company on the premises exploded.

ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson says paramedics arrived to a chaotic scene. “The explosion left three people injured. Advanced life support paramedics worked to try and stabilise the three critically injured people. However, one of the patients went into a state of cardiac arrest due to the nature of his injuries and, unfortunately, passed away,” he adds.

Jamieson says the other two patients were stabilised on the scene before being transported to a local hospital for urgent care.

Emergency response teams, including the fire department and private security companies, rushed to the scene to provide assistance.

At the time of publishing, containment efforts were underway to ensure the area is safe.