Johannesburg residents urged to avoid city center after blast

South African authorities investigating the cause of a massive explosion in Johannesburg’s central business district have warned residents to avoid the area because of the risk of another blast.

“A second explosion may occur and therefore we need to isolate the affected streets and areas, and we’ve done that” Panyaza Lesufi, the premier of the central Gauteng province which includes the country’s biggest city, said at an event on Thursday. “We are urging people to stay away.”

The incident close to a major transport terminal on Wednesday afternoon killed at least one person, injured 48 others and resulted in major damage to streets, according to the premier. While initial speculation pointed to a burst gas pipeline, the city’s supplier Egoli Gas, said a leak was unlikely to have been the caused as its systems hadn’t experienced any loss of pressure.

The company detected a small pipeline leak close to the area, which it said was a result of the blast.

The explosion overturned minibus taxis and several other vehicles, and one street “seemed to have been split wide open,” ER24, an emergency medical service, said in a statement.

The government is awaiting an official report on the cause of the blast and is conducting a risk assessment, Lesufi said.

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