South Africa: 24 dead in Boksburg following suspected gas inhalation

Boksburg [South Africa], July 6 : As many as 24 people have died of suspected gas inhalation at the Angelo informal settlement in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni on Wednesday night, reported TimesLIVE.

The gas, nitrate oxide, was reported to have leaked from a gas cylinder used by zama-zamas, who work out of a shanty in the informal settlement.

Ekurhuleni EMS spokesperson William Ntladi said officials were still searching for other victims at the scene, as per TimesLIVE.

TimesLIVE is a South African online newspaper that started as The Times daily newspaper.

He said, "The search and recovery team is searching the shacks in and around the area where the cylinder was to verify if there are other casualties."

No patients were being treated by paramedics since all of those impacted by the gas had died.

Ntladi said it is yet to be ascertained when the gas started leaking but added that by the time they arrived at the scene at approximately 8 pm, the deaths had already happened.

Another Ekurhuleni EMS officer who earlier spoke to TimesLIVE described the horrific scene where the dead bodies were found.

Among the deceased were women and children. He said that their remains were discovered dispersed across the settlement near the source of the leak.

The medic said, "The zama-zama guys live amongst the community and clean and refine their gold here using gas cylinders. Sadly this time the gas cylinders leaked resulting in the people who were sleeping suffocating. (Others) who were awake died as they tried to run but the fumes were too much to bare," as per TimesLIVE.

"For now, the youngest victims are two and five years old," the EMS official said.

Meanwhile, another officer with the local metro police department stated, "Initially, when we received a call, it was more to say there was an explosion, only with further investigation, it was ascertained that it wasn't an explosion, there was a gas leakage."

Authorities have arrived on the site, TimesLIVE reported.