Inspection of buildings in JHB CBD explosion site must be done: expert

An inspection of buildings in the area of the explosion in the Johannesburg CBD on Wednesday has to be done to ascertain their structural condition, an expert says. 

“It is unknown if the buildings in the area of the blast have been damaged. A thorough building inspection has to be performed by a competent professional (at least a professional engineer but preferably a specialist or an expert); this is for every building in the area,” said Prof Alex Elvin of the school of civil and environmental engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand. 

Elvin said the focus should be on the structural integrity of each building and the foundations and the soil below and around the foundations. 

“The blast was strong enough to fracture the road and fissure the soil below it.

“The resulting compressive blast wave and the earth tremor would have loaded the buildings in ways not contemplated in the original engineering design. The strength and hence the response and the structural condition of the buildings are unknown,” Elvin said.

Though there was no official confirmation of the cause of the blast, Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi said on Thursday Egoli Gas was the “centre of focus” in the probe.

But the oil and gas company said it was “unlikely that the explosion was caused by a gas pipeline or leak”.

The explosion claimed one life and left 48 people injured. 

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