Current:Home > NewsSouth Africa gas leak near Johannesburg leaves 16 dead, including 3 children-LoTradeCoin
South Africa gas leak near Johannesburg leaves 16 dead, including 3 children
View Date:2024-12-24 00:16:34
At least 16 people, including three children, were killed by a leak of a toxic nitrate gas being used by illegal miners to process gold in an informal settlement in South Africa, police and local government authorities said Wednesday.
Emergency services initially announced that as many as 24 people might be dead in the Angelo settlement in Boksburg, a city on the eastern outskirts of Johannesburg. But police and Premier Panyaza Lesufi of Gauteng province later said the number of deaths had been confirmed as 16 after a recount of the bodies.
Teams were still searching the area looking for other casualties. The bodies of the victims remained lying on the ground hours after the leak was reported as emergency services waited for forensic investigators and pathologists to arrive.
"We can't move anybody. The bodies are still where they are on the ground," said emergency services spokesman William Ntladi.
An official was seen covering the body of a child with a blanket. Another body could be seen covered in a white cloth with a shoe sticking out. It lay under a strip of yellow police tape cordoning off the area.
Police said the three children killed were aged 1, 6 and 15. Two people were taken to the hospital for treatment, police said.
Boksburg is the city where 41 people died after a truck carrying liquefied petroleum gas got stuck under a bridge and exploded on Christmas Eve.
Ntladi said Wednesday's deaths were caused by a nitrate gas that leaked from a gas cylinder being kept in a shack. He said the canister had emptied out and teams were able to begin going over an area stretching out 100 meters (or about 100 yards) from the cylinder to check for more casualties.
Ntladi said the information authorities had indicated the cylinder that caused the leak was being used by illegal miners to separate gold from dirt and rock.
Lesufi, Gauteng's premier, tweeted videos of the dusty inside of a shack where at least four gas cylinders could be seen on metal stands. The video also shows what Lesufi said was the cylinder responsible for the leak lying on the floor next to the entrance of the shack.
Authorities didn't say if the illegal miners they believed to be responsible for the gas leak were among the casualties.
Illegal mining is rife in the gold-rich areas around Johannesburg, where miners go into closed off and disused mines to search for any deposits left over.
Fatal incidents underground are also common. Recently the South African government agency responsible for mining announced that at least 31 illegal miners were believed to have died in a gas explosion in a disused mine in the city of Welkom, in central South Africa.
That explosion was caused by methane gas, the mining agency said.
- In:
- South Africa
- Gas Leak
veryGood! (84383)
Related
- Mariah Carey's Amazon Holiday Merch Is All I Want for Christmas—and It's Selling Out Fast!
- 'Wonder Man' crew member dies after accident on set of Marvel Studios series
- Authorities target two Texas firms in probe of AI-generated robocalls before New Hampshire’s primary
- Closed since 1993, Fort Wingate in New Mexico now getting $1.1M for natural resource restoration
- Amazon Prime Video to stream Diamond Sports' regional networks
- Bank plans to auction posh property owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice to repay loans
- How Prince Harry and King Charles' Relationship Can Heal Amid Cancer Treatment
- Andrew Whitworth's advice for rocking 'The Whitworth,' his signature blazer and hoodie combo
- Biden, Harris participate in Veterans Day ceremony | The Excerpt
- West Virginia seeks to become latest state to ban noncitizen voting
Ranking
- Texas’ 90,000 DACA recipients can sign up for Affordable Care Act coverage — for now
- NTSB says key bolts were missing from the door plug that blew off a Boeing 737 Max 9
- The music teacher who just won a Grammy says it belongs to her students
- Upending TV sports, ESPN, Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery form joint streaming service
- Philadelphia mass transit users face fare hikes of more than 20% and possible service cuts
- Rare snow leopard captured after killing dozens of animals in Afghanistan
- Coke hopes to excite younger drinkers with new raspberry-flavored Coca-Cola Spiced
- 'Put the dog back': Georgia family accuses Amazon driver of trying to steal puppy from yard
Recommendation
-
NY forest ranger dies fighting fires as air quality warnings are issued in New York and New Jersey
-
Student arrested, no injuries after shots fired at South Carolina State University
-
'Suits' stars reunite in court with Judge Judy for e.l.f. Cosmetics' Super Bowl commercial
-
Georgia Republicans push requiring cash bail for 30 new crimes, despite concerns about poverty
-
Where you retire could affect your tax bill. Here's how.
-
North Carolina insurance commissioner says no to industry plan that could double rates at coast
-
Adult dancers in Washington state want a strippers’ bill of rights. Here’s how it could help them.
-
Blinken briefs Israeli leaders on cease-fire and hostage talks as war in Gaza enters 5th month
Like
- Waymo’s robotaxis now open to anyone who wants a driverless ride in Los Angeles
- In His First Year as Governor, Josh Shapiro Forged Alliances With the Natural Gas Industry, Angering Environmentalists Who Once Supported Him
- Jennifer Crumbley verdict: After historic trial, jury finds mother of school shooter guilty