Death toll from S. Africa’s gas explosion rises to 15
A total of 24 patients and 13 staff members at the Tambo Memorial Hospital, which is 100 meters from the scene of the incident, were injured.
JOHANNESBURG: The death toll caused by a gas explosion that occurred in South Africa’s Boksburg has risen to 15 as of Sunday morning, Minister of Health Joe Phaahla said on Sunday.
On Saturday morning, a truck carrying gas got stuck under a low-lying bridge in Boksburg, Gauteng Province, resulting in fire and explosion which burned the nearby infrastructure.
A total of 24 patients and 13 staff members at the Tambo Memorial Hospital, which is 100 meters from the scene of the incident, were injured. “Sadly, among the injured staff members, a driver and two nurses have passed on,” Phaahla said.
The explosion caused structural damage to the hospital. A report about the damages and what needs to be done will be released next week, Phaahla said.
-Xinhua
