On Wednesday evening, a car collided with a petrol tanker in Alberton. The family of five inside the car could sadly not escape the explosion that followed and was burnt beyond recognition.
According to the Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services spokesman, William Ntladi, the family died in the blaze even as the crews from both Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg were attending to the horrific accident.
“Five lives perished in an inferno, that is a discovery by firefighters from the City of Ekurhuleni assisted by crews from the City of Johannesburg. The scene was received at exactly 22:23 reported by an off-duty firefighter. On arrival, both vehicles were well alight,” he said.
A specialised foam tanker and water tankers had to be used in order to contain the fire until it could eventually be extinguished. And Ntladi said that about 50 firefighters were involved in order to douse the flames.
Swartkoppies and Kliprivier Roads near Mall of the South, JHB. Tanker overturned and exploded. pic.twitter.com/JqRORNKrkL
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) February 2, 2022
The petrol tanker’s drivers survived the explosion
No members of the family could be saved but the petrol tanker’s driver and assistant managed to survive. Both have sustained critical injuries and are now in medical care.
“Both the truck driver and assistant sustained critical injuries and were transported to a nearby hospital for further medical care. The cause of the crash is undetermined and still under investigation by law enforcement officials,” he said.
