A suspected underground gas explo§ion ripped open roads and flipped vehicles in the heart of South Africa’s biggest city, k#lling one man and inj¥ring at least 41 people, authorities and emergency services said on Thursday.
Parts of Lilian Ngoyi Street in Johannesburg’s CBD collapsed on Wednesday after what was initially suspected to be a gas line explosion
The cause of the blast, which happened during Wednesday’s evening rush hour in downtown Johannesburg, remained unclear. The company that supplies gas to that part of the city said it did not believe its underground pipelines were responsible, as authorities first thought.
The body of the deceased was found during a nighttime search of the blast area, Johannesburg’s Emergency Management Services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said on Twitter.
An investigation was under way as city authorities brought in specialists to determine whether other underground pipes or cables were in the area and if there was a threat of another explosion or gas leak.
Premier of the Gauteng province where Johannesburg is located, Panyaza Lesufi, said the authorities were still searching for the source. He noted that 12 people remained in several Johannesburg hospitals for medical treatment. “The other 36 people who were h¥rt had been discharged,” he said.
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