A hazardous gas leak from a cylinder in Johannesburg, killed at least 16 people including three children, Associated Press reported. Without explaining the gap in the death toll, emergency officials stated that up to 24 individuals might be dead. As they determined the extent of the casualties, search and rescue teams kept on with their operations.
The incident happened in Boksburg, which is a city on the eastern border of Johannesburg.
According to William Ntladi, a spokesman for emergency services, the deaths were caused by a gas cylinder leak in Angelo village. Teams were looking for any additional casualties within a 100-meter radius of the cylinder because the leak had stopped.
According to William Ntladi, bodies were still lying on the ground "in and around the area". Pathologists and forensic investigators were heading to the gas leak site.
Police reported that the three children who died were 1, 6, and 15 years old. According to them, two individuals were taken to the hospital for treatment.
William Ntladi added by saying, “We can't move anybody. The bodies are still where they are on the ground.” Without identifying the type of gas he said that the gas was being used by illegal miners to process gold inside a shack.
(Photo: Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko)
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