By Daniel Itai
An underground explosion occurred towards the end of the day on Wednesday in the Johannesburg CBD, resulting in the loss of one life and injuring 48 individuals.
According to the Johannesburg Metro Police Department, the explosion took place between Bree and Simmonds streets in the city centre.
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Although there was no visible damage to the surrounding buildings, the roads and several vehicles were affected.
Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda stated that the cause of the explosion is yet to be determined, and evacuations are underway.
“The infrastructure underground in the inner city is congested. We have water, electricity, and gas pipes, and any of those pipes, due to pressure, could have caused this kind of explosion. Voluntary evacuation is taking place. The Department of Human Settlements is reviewing the stock that we have for temporary relocation because the area is unsafe, and we do not want to find ourselves in a situation where there is a secondary incident. The Department is also conducting occupational assessments and assisting with evaluating the integrity of the infrastructure to determine if the foundations of the buildings have been affected, so we can respond efficiently,” said Gwamanda.
Additionally, Johannesburg City Manager Floyd Brink mentioned that further inspections will be conducted in and around the scene of the explosion.
“We still need to do some search and rescue. We will also need to check the structural integrity of the buildings surrounding this area to see what we need to do to evacuate the people here,” said Brink.
