At least 16 people died in an informal settlement near Boksburg east of Johannesburg following a suspected gas leak, the head of the provincial government said on Wednesday after a recount of fatalities. South Africas Gauteng Province Premier Panyaza Lesufi told reporters as he visited the scene that investigations were underway to determine what type of gas was involved. The youngest victim was a one-year-old, he added. The deaths resulted from a leak of toxic nitrate gas used by illegal miners to process gold in the Angelo settlement of closely packed metal shacks, police and local officials said. Emergency services initially announced that as many as 24 people may have died in the city on the eastern outskirts of Johannesburg.
An initial investigation indicated the gas cylinder that caused the leak had been being used by illegal miners to separate gold from dirt and rock, an official with the Disaster and Emergency Management Services in Ekurhuleni municipality where the incident took place said. But he added that it was unknown whether the suspected illegal miners were among those killed.
The spokesperson, William Ntladi, said the canister that caused the leak had emptied, and teams were going over an area of 100 meters (yards) surrounding it to check for more bodies. He also said that forensic workers and pathologists were coming to the site.
Ntladi said the initial information authorities have received indicates that illegal miners were using the cylinder that caused the leak to process gold inside a shack. Illegal mining is rife in the gold-rich areas around Johannesburg, with miners often entering closed-off and disused mines to search for any remaining deposits.
A Reuters photographer at the scene said that several people had been injured in the incident. He reported seeing many people in hazmat suits combing the area. He also saw a dead child covered by a blanket.
The Johannesburg city council urged residents to stay indoors. Its deputy mayor, Mike Sutcliffe, described the situation as a “catastrophe.” “We have no idea how many people are missing, and we will do everything in our power to find them,” he said.
