Gas explosion leaves 1 dead, 48 injured in Johannesburg

The underground explosion ripped roads wide open. Pic/AP

One man died and at least 48 people were injured after a suspected underground gas explosion ripped open roads and flipped vehicles in the heart of South Africa's biggest city, authorities and emergency services said on Thursday. Firefighters found the man's body found under a vehicle.

The cause of the blast at evening rush hour on Wednesday in downtown Johannesburg remained unclear. The company that supplies gas to that part of the city said it did not believe its underground pipelines were responsible, as authorities first thought.

Some people were evacuated from the area on Wednesday night due to fears of a second explosion or that multi-story buildings in a downtown section of the city might collapse. However, people returned to the busy area in Johannesburg's central business district on Thursday morning, either to go back home or get to work.

"We are still searching for the source," Panyaza Lesufi, the premier of the Gauteng province, said, adding that the damage is extensive.

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