One injured in post-load shedding gas blast

Paul Herbst from IPSS Medical Rescue said two people were trying to cook food in the bathroom area using a gas cylinder after loadshedding was implemented this morning, North Coast Courierreported.

“The flames set alight the room. The Tongaat Fire Department responded to the scene and managed to extinguish the blaze,” added Herbst.

Investigations are ongoing.

In a separate incident, a man was “blown to pieces” when sparks from a grinding machine caused a gas explosion in Pomona, Kempton Park. The man was apparently working with a grinding machine at a truck repair business on Maple Street in November last year when the explosion took place.

“A truck carrying LP Gas was parked in the yard of the business. It was believed the sparks from the machine ignited the gas from the truck and caused an explosion,” an Emer-G-Med paramedics said.

One of the employees at the company said something needed to be fixed on the truck’s trailer and that workers did not know there was still gas inside the truck.

Police and forensics were on the scene as more body parts were found, Emer-G-Med paramedics said. Another worker, who suffered moderate head injuries when he was hit by a piece of metal during the explosion, was taken to Tembisa Hospital by provincial emergency services.

Kempton Park police spokesperson Captain Jethro Mtshali said experts would investigate the exact cause of the explosion.

– Caxton News Service