Horrific Boksburg explosion kills 10, multiple serious injuries
“Among the many injured included a firefighter who suffered critical burn wounds and has been taken under the care of an Emergency Care Practitioner to a nearby hospital for further care.”
An LP gas tanker exploded at Railway Street in the Boksburg Area south of Johannesburg at a horrific scene in which ten have died and multiple others are seriously injured.
Reports from the scene are that children were among the dead.
Several homes and Tambo Memorial Hospital were damaged in the blast. Tambo Memorial Hospital was not able to receive patients due to the damage.
Horrific Boksburg explosion kills 10, multiple serious injuries
Several homes and Tambo Memorial Hospital were damaged in the blast. Tambo Memorial Hospital was not able to receive patients due to the damage.
Read more > https://t.co/RBYnVpI04Q pic.twitter.com/EGBDEnWgHs— Pretoria Rekord (@RekordNewspaper) December 24, 2022
Emer-G-Med spokesperson Kyle Van Reenen confirmed that eight people died at the explosion with another two dying at the hospital from serious injuries.
He said that approximately thirty people sustained life threatening injuries.
Emer-G-Med Emergency Operations Centre and Netcare911 deployed aeromedical resources to assist with airlifting critically injured patients from the scene to specialist facilities.
Van Reenen said: “The many injured included a firefighter who suffered critical burn wounds and has been taken under the care of an emergency care practitioner to a nearby hospital for further care.”
The driver of the gas tanker was rescued before the explosion and was taken to hospital to treat his injuries.
Ekurhuleni Emergency Services spokesperson William Ntladi said that there is a concern that hospital patients from Tambo Memorial Hospital would need to be evacuated because the explosion has caused a structural collapse at the hospital.
“We can confirm that a roof section (sic) at the hospital casualty department has collapsed,” Ntladi said.
The truck carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LP) attempted to pass through a low-lying bridge rammed into the bridge and got stuck.
NEWSFLASH: Horrific Boksburg explosion kills 10, multiple serious injuries
“Among the many injured was a firefighter who suffered critical burn wounds and has been taken under the care of an Emergency Care Practitioner to a nearby hospital"
Read more > https://t.co/RBYnVpI04Q pic.twitter.com/bKkyBaAnPQ— Pretoria Rekord (@RekordNewspaper) December 24, 2022
“Apparently, a gas tanker drove under the subway bridge and got stuck in there, and due to friction, it caught alight,” said Ntladi.
Emergency services had been in attendance at the scene when the explosion happened.
Ntladi said six firefighters from Boksburg Central Fire Station were called to the scene to help extinguish the fire. The firefighters suffered injuries in the blast.
“While doing the fire suppression, there was an explosion that took place,” added Ntladi.
An initial explosion attracted onlookers who were nearby when the second horrific explosion happened.
A fire engine and two motor vehicles were also destroyed in the explosion.
Firefighters are still at the scene putting out fires at nearby houses.
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