By: Natasha Archary
At least 16 people have died in a Boksburg informal settlement after suffocating from a gas leak believed to be caused by illegal mining.
The gas is said to be used to extrapolate gold out of the soil by illegal miners, or Zama Zamas, in the Angelo informal settlement.
Eight men, five women, and three children lost their lives after inhaling the poisonous gas. The youngest victim was a 1-year-old baby.
According to forensic pathologists, the colourless gas can be inhaled with little warning and is easily absorbed into the lungs, resulting in heart failure and possible death due to asphyxiation.
Ekurhuleni Mayor Sivuyile Ngodwana, said he arrived on the scene on Wednesday afternoon, 05 July, at a shack in Angelo informal settlement where he found bodies of those who had succumbed to the gas leak.
Ngodwana said they found machinery and other heavy-duty equipment inside the shack which was being used for illegal mining activities, and appealed to communities to report such operations.
“There was a shack there that has got some equipment that Zama Zamas used to clean up whatever they are mining. So, they use this gas to extrapolate the gold from the soil.”
According to Ngodwana, emergency services were called after residents of Angelo settlement reported a strange smell and said people were collapsing.
Four people are reportedly in a critical condition in hospital and 11 people are said to be serious but stable.
Police are investigating the circumstances of the gas leak and whether illegal mining was to blame for the loss of lives.
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