Cape Town — The death toll in the tanker gas explosion in Boksburg on December 24, 2022 at the Tambo Memorial Hospital, has now risen to 18.
The 32-year-old driver of the tanker has been arrested and is expected to appear in court on December 28, 2022. He will face charges of culpable homicide, negligence, and malicious damage to property, eNCA reports.
The tanker was transporting gas from Richards Bay to Botswana.
Nine hospital staff members died in the incident – eight nurses and a hospital driver, while patients at the hospital’s emergency unit – among them children – were also killed.
Scores of people are being treated for third-degree burns.
Meanwhile, political party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said that Saturday’s incident in Boksburg is an indication that the country’s roads and infrastructure were not suitable to transport hazardous substances. EFF spokesperson Leigh-Ann Mathys said that using the railway system to transport minerals would reduce truck accidents.