Inspenet, July 21, 2023.
During rush hour last Wednesday, an incident occurred in Johannesburg, South Africa, where a suspected underground gas explosion wreaked havoc on roads and overturned more than 20 cars, killing one person and injuring 48 .
Fortunately, the injured were taken to hospital and out of an abundance of caution, more people were evacuated from the area due to fears of a second explosion or possible multi-story building collapses, as the incident occurred in a part of the city that was in poor condition.
Damage left by underground gas explosion
The explosion that occurred in the center of the city left one person dead and more than 40 injured so far.
Authorities, including Gauteng Province Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda, have been present at the scene and describe the damage to infrastructure as extensive, but say the situation is under control.
Initially, eyewitnesses attributed the explosion to a gas leak, which left the pavement of Lillian Ngoyi Street with sags, long cracks, and several vehicles overturned.
Provincial and municipal authorities have established a Joint Operations Center in Mary Fitzgerald Square to coordinate rescue operations.
The security forces immediately evacuated the residents of the buildings near the explosion, while investigations began to determine the main cause of the deflagration.
In a statement, the Egoli Gas company said the explosion was unlikely to have been caused by a gas pipeline or leak. According to the company, its network has not experienced a loss of pressure , indicating that the pipelines are intact.
The Egoli Gas specialist teams investigated the place to detect any gas leaks, but did not find any.
Source: https://www.prensa-latina.cu/2023/07/19/explosion-en-johannesburgo-sudafrica-deja-decenas-de-heridos
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