The death toll from a gas tanker explosion in Johannesburg on Christmas Eve has risen to 34 from an earlier estimate of 27, the provincial health department said on Friday.
The blast tore off the roof of the Tambo Memorial hospital emergency department in the city’s Boksburg suburb on Saturday, also injuring dozens of bystanders, destroying homes and several cars.
“The Department of Health can confirm that the death toll from the Boksburg explosion incident has risen to 34 as of Friday, December 30, 2022,” a Gauteng Department of Health spokesperson said in a statement.
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Officials and forensic experts lie next to bodies after a tanker truck explosion in Boksburg, a city east of Johannesburg, on December 24, 2022.
(AFP via Getty Images)
The victims include 11 health workers and 23 members of the public, the spokesperson said, adding that the figures are constantly being updated.
The severe nature of the burns inflicted by the blast was expected to result in an increase in the number of deaths, authorities previously said.
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The victims included children as young as nine, according to a message shared by the health department on social media to commemorate a memorial for the victims.
The families and friends of the victims, along with Health Minister Joe Phaahla, gathered at the Boksburg Civic Center Friday morning for a memorial service and paid their respects by lighting candles.
President Cyril Ramaphosa promised relief to the victims and said authorities were investigating the incident.
