Among the ten patients being treated at the Tambo Memorial hospital in Boksburg is a two-month-old baby who inhaled the deadly gas at the Angelo informal settlement last night in Boksburg east of Johannesburg.
Seventeen people have since been confirmed dead.
Residents of the informal settlements inhaled the noxious gas from a cylinder that was left outside a shack.
The cylinder is suspected to have been used for illegal mining activities.
Sixteen people were confirmed dead on the scene, and one died in hospital this morning.
Executive Mayor of the City of Ekurhuleni, Sivuyile Ngodwana, spoke to SABC News outside the hospital where other provincial leaders briefed the media on the death toll.
He says one patient is still on oxygen.
“Currently, there are 10 people. There were 11 that were brought to hospital, including four children. The youngest one is two months old, it’s very sad. Out of that 10, nine of them can breathe on their own. The other one is still on oxygen. They doctor told us that earlier he started to open his eyes. That gas is poisonous and dangerous.”
Premier Panyaza @Lesufi and MEC @NkomoNomantu are this morning visiting the @TamboHospital to visit patients who were admitted at the facility following the overnight gas leak disaster at Angelo informal settlement in Boksburg pic.twitter.com/tX4guiYOL2
— Gauteng Health (@GautengHealth) July 6, 2023
Illegal mining concerns
Former Ekurhuleni mayor, Tania Campbell, has since raised concerns around illegal mining in the area, saying the situation is out of control.
Her sentiments have been echoed by Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, who says the province is under siege from illegal miners.
Campbell elaborates in the video below:
