Johannesburg - Gauteng police commissioner Elias Mawela has confirmed that the police are investigating reports that a child was also missing from the rubble that has claimed the life of one person following a gas explosion in the Joburg CBD on Wednesday.
Mawela said no parent has come to the police to report a missing child, but the police will investigate these reports.
It was reported on Thursday that one person died and that some vehicles, including cars and minibus taxis, were heavily impacted by the blast on Wednesday afternoon. Twelve people are still in hospital, while at least 48 were treated for minor injuries.
It is not clear what caused the explosion, but Egoli Gas, the company responsible for running the gas pipeline, said a small leak into the pipeline has been detected, which might be the cause of the explosion.
On Wednesday, as residents of the Joburg CBD were making their way home, there was an explosion on Bree Street, which saw cars and minibus taxis colliding with one another.
The gas company, which has been investigating the cause of the blast, said it has conducted ongoing inspections of all its pipelines in the area.
“A small leak has been detected in the servitude pipeline at the corner of Bree and Eloff on a 100mm pipe. We believe the crack in the pipe was caused by the collapse of the road. Our team is busy repairing this leak.
“Egoli Gas notes that there are approximately 15 other utility lines in the same area, for example, a sewage line that runs directly underneath the street. We would like to reiterate that our pipelines run on the side of the road.”
In the meantime, Mawela, who was at the scene in the morning, said police were investigating reports that a child was also missing. This comes after the City of Joburg emergency services reported that one person was killed in the explosion, which also saw at least 10 people being treated for injuries at the hospital.
Police kept a strong presence at the scene and prevented onlookers from interfering, while some residents who stay in the affected buildings complained that they were being prevented from going to work.
The Star