At least 50 people have been injured after a suspected chemical leak at a factory in Germiston on the East Rand of Gauteng.
Russel Meiring of ER24 said their paramedics arrived on the scene after receiving a report of a gas explosion.
On arrival‚ however‚ it emerged that an apparent chemical leak from a neighbouring factory had forced one business to evacuate its staff.
- #BlackMonday has many seeing redBlack Monday has left many South Africans seeing red. They took to Twitter to voice their concerns about the call to wear black in reaction to the growing concern over President Jacob Zuma's recent Cabinet reshuffling.
“Local authorities began to close off the road while emergency services set up a triage area‚” Meiring said.
“Upon assessment‚ paramedics discovered that numerous patients were experiencing difficulty in breathing.”
Meiring said the patients were treated for their injuries and were then transported to various hospitals for further treatment.
- Death threats‚ Ben 10s and Watergate – the 'unprecedented' Press Ombudsman rulingA ruling handed down last week by Press Ombudsman Johan Retief is‚ in his own words‚ “the most serious he has dealt with in his seven years of work in the office”.
ER24 earlier tweeted that about 50 people had been injured. Meiring said that number could grow.
“The exact number of patients is not yet known‚ due to the number of services on scene‚” he said.