Johannesburg Street Explosion Cause Still Unclear After Suspicions Pointed to Gas Line Leak, Multiple Injured

• A section of Lillian Ngoyi Street in Johannesburg was ripped in two after an explosion of unknown origin
• Initial suspicions pointed to a gas line explosion but illegal mining activities have not been ruled out
• 48 injuries were reported, and scores of people were rushed to the hospital for medical attention

JOHANNESBURG - The Johannesburg CBD descended into chaos when a section of Lillian Ngoyi Street (also called Bree Street) split into two after an explosion on Wednesday, 19 July.

While initial reports indicated that a gas line caused the explosion, authorities are not sure about the true root of the disaster.

Egoli Sas claims gas line explosions may not have caused Bree Street burst

Egoli Gas, which manages the municipal gas lines in the city, released a statement claiming that it cannot be sure that a gas line caused the explosion.

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The utility said the gas lines run under the pavement, not the road. Additionally, Egoli Gas' network had not experienced a pressure loss, indicating that its pipelines were intact.

Daily Maverick reported that police on the scene were also looking at illegal mining as a possible cause, as zama zama activities were often conducted in the area.

Bree Street descends into panic as terrified commuters flee after explosion

Multiple videos of the incident have spread across social media and captured the attention of the entire country.

One video is taken from one of the high-rise buildings in the area, giving a birds-eye view of multiple people running away from Bree Steert just after the explosion.

Watch the video that @Kasihustlers_SA posted on Twitter:

The latest reports indicate that 48 people were injured, and one body was recovered from the rubble.

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South Africans share their thoughts on the Johannesburg gas explosion

Below are some comments:

@RomeoGrey complained:

"It will take 3 years and 5 contractors to fix the damage."

@secha_carly said:

"Let's be honest, South Africa isn't boring, the is always action somewhere."

@Ulwazi_amandla added:

"These incidents make me worry if gas is still safe to use nje."

@Beachdays3 claimed:

"July is now the 13th month in SA - unlucky."

@SisMokgaetje warned:

"There is a high chance of underground fire, and there are residential flats in the same street. Pray and hope that no one dies. This is very bad, urg!"

@LeiScheffers said:

"Soon we'll find out someone had a tender and didn't do the required maintenance work."

Lesotho pleaded with SA govt to retrieve 31 illegal miners’ bodies trapped in Welkom mine after an explosion

In another story, Briefly News reported that SA's Mineral Resources and Energy Department made the bombshell revelation that 31 illegal miners believed to be Lesotho citizens were killed in an explosion at an abandoned mine in the Free State.

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Now the spokesperson to the Lesotho Prime Minister, Thapelo Mabote, is pleading with the South African government to help retrieve the bodies that have been trapped since the explosion.

Speaking on Newzroom Afrika, Mabote said that while the Lesotho government does not condone illegal mining, they would like to repatriate the bodies of the deceased and return them to their families.

Source: Briefly News