South Africa: At least 16 people killed by gas leak

A suspected gas leak has killed as many as 16 people including three children, in Boksburg, South Africa, a suburb just outside of Johannesburg, an official said.

William Ntladi, an emergency services spokesperson for the nearby municipality of Ekurhuleni, said Wednesday that the gas leak emanated from a cylinder in the Angelo camp, an informal settlement with limited public services.

Emergency services were called to attend to what was thought to be a gas explosion. However, first responders came to realise the deaths were caused not by an explosion but by “poisonous gas” leaking into the area.