Africa-Press – South-Africa. The families of the people caught up in the devastating Boksburg blast now have an agonising wait to see who will pull through from their catastrophic injuries sustained on Saturday.
According to the police’s preliminary investigation, the gas tanker got stuck trying to drive under a low-level bridge, and the impact resulted in the explosion which spread to the nearby
Tambo Memorial Hospital, and to the residential street where onlookers had gathered to watch the initial fire. At the latest briefing on Sunday, it was announced
that the death toll had risen to 15. Thirty-seven people – 24 patients and 13 staff members from Tambo Memorial Hospital who were in or around the hospital’s
accident and emergency unit at the time of the blast – sustained severe burns and were sent to neighbouring hospitals. A driver and two enrolled nurses died in the
explosion, which also caused severe structural damage. Firefighters who arrived at the scene after the first sign of flames once the tanker got stuck under a
bridge, were among those injured. For those who survived the blast, the next few days are crucial. SA Medical Association (SAMA) spokesperson, Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa, explained that people who survived severe burn wounds could
become extremely dehydrated from losing their skin. The medical team looking after them would have to pay careful attention to the potential for bacterial infections, as victims can
lose the protective barriers on their severely burnt bodies. They would also have to keep a close watch for septicaemia, which can cause severe complications.
The patients who suffered from smoke inhalation would have been intubated to help their respiratory system recover. Most of the patients would be treated in either an
intensive care unit (ICU) or a high-care unit, and the next few days are crucial. SAMA had put out a call for help for extra doctors and nurses to assist with the very specific care needed for burn victims, and
the call had been answered, said Mzukwa. “The response was good.” Meanwhile, the driver of the tanker was placed under arrest in his hospital bed on Sunday and is expected to appear in the
Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday on multiple counts of culpable homicide, negligently causing an explosion resulting in death [Act 26 of 1956,
Section 27 (2)], and malicious damage to property. Pierre Cronje, from the tanker transport company Infinite Logistics, reiterated on Monday that there would be no further comment until their investigation was completed. So far, it is understood that the driver was en route from Richards Bay to Botswana with a load of fuel.
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