Boksburg explosion 'could have been avoided', says RTMC as death toll rises to nine

The gas tanker explosion which killed nine people in Boksburg on Saturday could have been prevented, said the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC).

The incident happened when a gas tanker got stuck under a railway bridge, leading to the blast.

But this could have been prevented had the driver been alert, said RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane.

“Someone should have known the height of the truck and that the bridge is low. One can feel when the truck is hitting a hard surface, especially when going under a low bridge. The first thing to do is to reverse. But the truck driver didn’t,” Zwane told TimesLIVE.

“The police will take over from here and will determine the next actions if anyone is to be held accountable. But right now an inquest is being investigated,” he said.

The driver was rescued while the vehicle was burning. He is in hospital, said Zwane.

“The people in hospital include the fire and emergency personnel of Ekurhuleni since they were the first ones to respond. I think they got caught in the secondary fire [explosion].”

ER24's Russel Meiring said nine people were killed and about 40 others injured, some of them critically.

Firefighters were also injured while attending to the blaze.

“The many injured included a firefighter who suffered critical burn wounds and has been taken under the care of an emergency care practitioner to a nearby hospital for further care,” said Emer-G-Med spokesperson Kyle van Reenen.  

Ekurhuleni emergency services spokesperson William Ntladi said scores of patients were admitted to Tambo Memorial Hospital, but the hospital’s emergency unit was also affected by the fire.

The ceiling of the hospital unit collapsed due to the explosion, said Ntladi. Patients have since been evacuated.

Meanwhile, Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi is expected to visit the site at 1pm on Saturday.

Lesufi will be joined by the MECs for co-operative governance (Cogta), transport and logistics, and infrastructure development.

TimesLIVE

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