WATCH: ‘Moment’ Joburg CBD explosion hit

A video supposedly showing the moment an explosion hit the Johannesburg CBD on Wednesday, has been shared online.

The CCTV footage overlooking a business on Bree Street, and captured after 5pm, shows street vendors and taxi drivers conducting business when suddenly the ground lifts and a row of taxis are propelled into the air.

The video we've all be waiting for, the moment of the #BreeStreet explosion. pic.twitter.com/lN8jDyFEfs

— Cliff – That's All (@PigSpotter) July 20, 2023

The origin of the video has not yet been established. This article will be updated once received.

The aftermath

The trail of devastation caused by the explosion saw dozens flee the scene.

Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) said the explosion occurred between Bree and Simmonds streets on Wednesday evening.

Thirty-seven vehicles, most of them taxis, were damaged during the explosion. One person died and at least 48 people were injured. As of Thursday morning, 12 people remained in hospital.

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said the victim was found under a car in the wreckage.

ALSO READ: No lights and ‘the high smell of gas’ morning after the Joburg CBD explosion

“Unfortunately, during the process of handing over the vehicles that were affected to their owners we found the body of a male underneath one of the cars. The body has not been identified and we are trying to locate relatives and family members.”

Taxi industry to discuss way forward

The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) said its leaders in the Greater Johannesburg region were meeting to decide on how to proceed with operations after the explosion.

Small leak detected

Meanwhile, Egoli Gas has reaffirmed its earlier statement that its extensive pipeline infrastructure is not the cause of the underground explosion.

The company, which is busy with inspections of the site, has however detected a small leak on the servitude pipeline at the corner of Bree and Eloff Stree on a 100mm pipe.

“We believe the crack in the pipe has been caused by the road’s collapse. Our team is busy repairing this leak,” said the company in a statement.

“The pipeline running on the road servitude of Bree Street has been checked and is not damaged.”

At the time of the explosion Egoli Gas was one of the first companies around which speculation about the possible cause of the underground explosion was formed. Now the company is at pains to shift the spotlight away.

ALSO READ: Dead body under a car, the ‘smell of gas’: 7 stories to read about the Joburg CBD explosion

– Additional reporting by Narrisa Subramoney