SAPS K9 dogs deployed to find missing persons in Joburg CBD
Gauteng Police Commissioner Elias Mawela has urged anyone who suspects their friends or relatives might have gone missing during the explosion in the Johannesburg CBD to contact SAPS.
Wednesday afternoon’s explosion on one of Joburg’s busiest streets, Lillian Ngoyi, left one person dead and 48 others injured.
Twelve people were taken to nearby hospitals for medical treatment.
Mawela’s call comes after several people claimed to be missing loved ones, including a child, without officially notifying the police.
“We have deployed our K9 dogs, trained to do search and rescue to search for us in all those areas, but we could not detect anyone or human body in that space. So for now, we call upon those who claim that their loved one is missing to go to the nearest police station and report, and we will do whatever is necessary to track that person.”
The commissioner said a case has not been opened as they do not suspect the explosion to have been caused by any criminal conduct.
“We are not pre-empting anything. For now, we allow the specialists to do their work, and once they have the report, it will assist us in making a decision. But for now, we don’t suspect any criminal element in what happened.”
Meanwhile, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi says Egoli Gas remains at the centre of the investigation into the cause of the explosion.
Egoli Gas, however, has distanced itself from the explosion.
The cause remains unknown.
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