The health minister announced on Sunday that the death toll from a fuel tanker explosion in a South African city east of Johannesburg had increased to 15.
At Tambo Memorial Hospital, Joe Phaahla told reporters that the death toll had increased from 10 on Saturday to 15 as of this morning.
On Saturday morning in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg, a tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) became trapped beneath a bridge close to a hospital and homes.
The minister reported that two nurses and a driver who worked at the hospital all ultimately passed away from severe burn injuries.
Thirty-seven individuals were hurt in the explosion, including 24 hospital patients and 13 hospital staff members who were in the accident and emergency department at the time.
According to Phaahla, they “received severe burns and have been diverted to nearby hospitals.”
He continued, saying that some people were harmed when they were in the parking lot or in front of the hospital, while others were struck by smashed glass.
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Videos on social media showed a huge fire under the bridge, which the tanker seemed to be too tall to get under.
It was coming from the southeast of the country and was carrying 60,000 liters of LPG gas, which is used primarily in cooking and gas burners.
According to the health minister, the explosion did a lot of damage to the hospital’s emergency room, X-ray, and roof.
