Seventeen people have tragically lost their lives due to a suspected nitrate oxide gas leak in South Africa, according to local authorities.
The victims, including women and children, succumbed to gas inhalation in an informal settlement located in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg.
The incident, which occurred on Wednesday, is believed to be connected to illegal gold mining activities in the area.
Illegal gold miners, known as “zama zamas,” often utilize nitrate oxide gas to extract gold from soil obtained from abandoned mine shafts.
Authorities discovered a leaking gas cylinder in the densely populated Angelo shanty town of Boksburg.
The victims were found within a 100-meter radius of the leak site.
Rescue teams continue their search, and there are concerns that additional bodies may be discovered.
Fifteen individuals are currently receiving medical treatment, with three in critical condition.
A devastated woman from Mozambique, residing in South Africa, shared with the BBC that her husband lost his life in the gas leak. She received a distressing call from a neighbor informing her of her husband’s collapse.
Tearfully, she expressed worries about repatriating her husband’s body to Mozambique since she is unemployed, and her husband worked part-time as a handyman.
This tragedy occurred only six months after a gas tanker explosion claimed 41 lives in the same town on Christmas Eve.
