WATCH: ‘Good news’ regarding Boksburg tanker explosion damage to OR Tambo Memorial hospital

After news that the death toll in the explosion which rocked Boksburg on Christmas eve has risen to 18 overnight, there is at least a small glimmer of light, in that the OR Tambo Memorial Hospital has not suffered any serious structural damage.

Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements and Infrastructure Development Lebogawng Maile visited the hospital on Tuesday morning, and informed the media that engineers had confirmed that there “has not been any fundamental impact” on the hospital structure following the explosion.

Watch his briefing below:

Despite the structure being declared safe, there are, however, some areas of concern, Maile explained.

These include damage in the casualty and emergency unit, theatre ward, X-ray ward, and antenatal ward.

This damage is limited to roofs, windows, ceilings and doors, but according to Maile, a contractor is already on site to repair this.

Death toll continues to rise

At least ten people died on the scene of Saturday morning’s blast, after the tanker transporting gas got stuck under a bridge near the hospital and started leaking, resulting in an explosion that caused extensive damage to private and public infrastructure within an estimated 500 metres from the scene.

The Gauteng department of health announced on Monday evening that the death toll had risen to 18 people. This after eight more people who had sustained severe burns and injuries died as of Monday.

Of the 18 deceased people, nine are Tambo Memorial Hospital staff (one driver and eight nurses).

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The department has called on affected families to visit the mortuary to identify their loved ones at the Germiston Forensic Pathology Services situated at 10 Long Street, Germiston, (behind SAPS Germiston).

Documents to bring

• Original ID document of the family member coming to identify the deceased.
• No drivers’ licences are accepted, in line with the Identification Act
• Original Identification Document of the deceased person is needed, or an abridged birth certificate where an ID is not available.
• If the deceased person is a child without an ID, a birth certificate is acceptable.
• An Abridged birth certificate for adults can be obtained from Home Affairs offices.
• If the deceased is a foreign national, a passport, an asylum seeker certificate, or a letter from the country of origin Embassy confirming who the deceased is and to whom the mortal remains should be handed over to.

Counselling services to families coming to identify their loved ones will be offered on site through registered counsellors.

Also Read: WATCH: The aftermath of the Boksburg tanker explosion