Update: No deaths, three injured in explosion at Germiston chemical factory

Contrary to what was reported earlier, nobody died but three people were rushed to hospital following an explosion at a chemical factory in Germiston on Wednesday afternoon.

This is according to Netcare 911 spokesman Shawn Herbst, who confirmed the incident’s occurrence and retracted the erroneous report of a death to The Citizen.

“There was an explosion at a chemical factory in Germiston, however, the cause of the explosion is not yet known. Emergency services were activated with two helicopters sent out to the scene and both helicopters airlifted two adult males that were found in critical conditions with severe burns all over their bodies.”

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Herbst further said another man was transported to a hospital via ambulance.

Emer-G-Med, whose paramedics also responded to the scene, had reported earlier that one person with serious injuries had been transported to the hospital, while two others were flown by Netcare to a nearby hospital.

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