16 people killed due to a gas leak at Boksburg informal settlement
By Neo Poho
Sixteen people have died in Boksburg after a gas leak at the Angelo informal settlement on Wednesday night.
Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services spokesperson William Ntladi said three children, five women and eight men were among the dead.
While 16 other people have been admitted to hospital, with four of them in critical conditions and 11 in serious conditions, Ntladi furthermore alluded that others were resuscitated after the intervention of paramedics on site.
"The South African Police Services (SAPS) and forensic investigators are on scene conducting preliminary scene investigations and it is alleged that nitrate oxide leaked from a cylinder and poisoned the community of Angelo informal settlement in Boksburg.
As per information on site, illegal mining activities were ongoing using nitrate oxide to extract what is said to be gold from the soil within the informal settlement," Ntladi lamented
Meanwhile, a security guard who spoke on condition of anonymity alleged that thieves had stolen gas cylinders containing nitrate oxide.
"As they were cutting open one cylinder, that's when things went bad because the deceased inhaled nitrate oxide and possibly died from that and some inhaled it in their sleep," the guard added.
The Department of Health has deployed a truck to collect the bodies of the deceased.
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