CCTV footage released on Thursday shows the moment an explosion occurred on Lilian Ngoyi Street in the Johannesburg CBD on Wednesday evening.
Taxis were lifted into the air by the impact of the blast, and chaos ensued as panicked bystanders scurried for cover.
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It is not yet known the exact cause of the disaster, which left 48 people injured and one person killed. Earlier on Thursday, Gauteng’s chief minister, Baniasa Lisovi, said authorities suspected some type of gas was involved.
Some of the injured were taken to the Charlotte-Maxick Johannesburg Academic Hospital, the Hillbrow Clinic, Garden City Hospital and Mulbarton Hospital.
During a briefing at Charlotte Maxi Hospital on Thursday, Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said government hospitals are ready in case of a second explosion.
“We pray that this does not happen,” she added.
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