As officials reported the death toll rising to 15, South Africa was coming to grips with the full extent of the destruction caused by the Christmas Eve tanker truck explosion near Johannesburg.
Gas was being transported by the truck when it got stuck under a low-lying bridge in Boksburg, sparking flames. According to emergency services officials, the tanker exploded as firefighters tried to extinguish the flames.
The explosion caused substantial damage to Tambo Memorial Hospital, located about 100 meters away. Minister of Health Joe Phaahla said three hospital staff members were killed.
He said the X-ray department and emergency unit were badly damaged.
Witnesses reported that some residents with their clothes burned off fled from the explosion after seeing the burning truck. The damaged hospital treated 321 injured people, although some of them were transferred to other hospitals in the Johannesburg area.
Officials reported that several houses and vehicles were also damaged as a result of the explosion.
Liquefied petroleum gas – used for heating and cooking in homes and industries – was being transported by tanker truck from South Africa’s Indian Ocean port of Richards Bay to Botswana. People were wondering why the tanker was traveling on an indirect local route instead of a major highway.
Mayor Tania Campbell of Ekurhuleni, which includes Boksburg, said the incident would be investigated.