Survivors of the Bree Street explosion say they smelt gas

Lerato Mbhiza

A suspected underground gas explosion ripped open roads and flipped vehicles in Joburg killing one man and injuring at least 41 people.

Eyewitnesses talk about their ordeal as they were confronted with the horrors of the explosion and its aftermath.

The cause of the blast, which happened during Wednesday’s evening rush hour in downtown Johannesburg, remained unclear. The company that supplies gas to that part of the city said it didn’t believe its underground pipelines were responsible.

An eyewitness to the explosion said it was around 5pm when he felt something like an earthquake but when he looked at the road, there were cracks followed by a big sound of something exploding like an active volcano.

“White steam was coming out of the hole in the middle of the road and it was like I’m dreaming,” he said.

Another witness said she was in her apartment when the