JOHANNESBURG — A gas tanker that became trapped under a low overpass outside Johannesburg exploded early Saturday morning in a massive plume of fire, killing at least nine people, injuring at least 60 and leaving a gruesome scene of twisted vehicles and bystanders with missing limbs, authorities said and eyewitnesses.
The large early morning blast was felt nearly half a mile away, officials said. It shattered windows and cracked the ceiling of the adjacent Tambo Memorial Hospital, where two dozen patients and 13 staff suffered injuries ranging from severe burns to lacerations after being struck by flying debris, authorities said.
“It looks like a war zone,” said Panyaza Lesufi, the prime minister of Gauteng province, where the accident took place, after visiting the site.
The driver of the truck survived, authorities said, and investigators were working to determine how he managed to get his vehicle trapped under a bridge. The truck was on its way from Richards Bay, a town on South Africa’s east coast, to Botswana, and Mr Lesufi said it was unclear why it was passing through Boksburg, a community about 30 minutes east of Johannesburg, where it crashed .
The driver did not see the height restriction or there were no height restriction signs posted on the bridge, said Simon Zwane, the spokesman for South Africa’s Road Traffic Management Corporation. The truck got stuck halfway across the bridge and gas was leaking, so the driver called the fire department, Mr Zwane said.
Paul dos Santos was shopping at a nearby gas station when he heard an explosion about 6:45 a.m. Saturday morning, he said. He then heard two smaller explosions, so he jumped in his vehicle to go see what was going on.
He said he heard the loud hiss of gas as he approached the crash site. Many people were standing around and he said he was trying to urge them to leave for fear of the wind blowing. But many did not listen, he said. About 45 minutes after arriving at the scene, he was standing about 100 yards from the crash, filming with his phone, when the massive blast occurred, which sent him flying several feet back into his car, he said.
Mr dos Santos, 42, said he then went back to the bridge and it was “like a zombie apocalypse or something”.
People’s clothes had melted into their bodies, he said. A man was missing a leg, he said, and a child was missing an arm. Mr dos Santos said he saw a decapitated head lying on the pavement, resting near a house.
“It was surreal,” he said. “It was something you only see in movies.”
He said he saw no police officers around. During a press conference, a police official did not elaborate on why they had not cleared people.
William Ntladi, a spokesman for the regional emergency services, said their teams responded immediately to the crash and carried out some evacuations. Several firefighters fighting the blaze at the time of the explosion were among those injured, he said.
Those close to the tanker when it exploded were either seriously injured or killed, authorities said.
One of those bystanders who died was Ndumiso Mashaba, 26, according to his father, Lawrence Mashaba.
Mr. Mashaba said he was at home with his son about 100 meters from the accident scene when the house was rattled by an explosion. Mr. Mashaba said his son ran out to see if he could help and to look for his brother, who he thought might be there.
Unfortunately, Mr. Mashaba said, his son Ndumiso was still nearby when the last massive blast happened. He leaves behind a 5-month-old daughter and 3-year-old son, Mr. Mashaba said.
Mr Mashaba said his daughter and daughter-in-law were also at the scene and were badly injured in the explosion and were treated in hospital.
“We’ll be fine,” Mr. Mashaba said. “We are surrounded by the community and everyone is with us.”