An eyewitness has recalled the moments leading up to two gas explosions in Worcester early on Wednesday morning.
Klaas de Vos, an employee at Raimondi's Wholesalers in Worcester, and his colleagues had been loading items on his company's truck, which was going to Ceres, when one of his colleagues remarked that he "smelt gas".
"After smelling it, we decided that we needed to hurry up because [the situation] could get dangerous," De Vos said.
They then heard the first explosion.
"We went through the open gate to the backyard [of the premises]," said De Vos.
He said as he observed where the explosion had come from, he noticed a man in a bakkie calling for help. De Vos immediately went to the man's assistance, getting him out of the vehicle and taking him to hospital to receive medical attention.
When he returned from hospital, the second explosion went off.
"The explosion shattered some of the glass and broke some of the doors [at the company premises]. It looked like a small cloud," De Vos remembers.
"We are so lucky to be alive," he said.
A logistics manager was injured when a gas tanker exploded, while he was nearby in his vehicle, News24 reported.
Western Cape traffic chief Kenny Africa earlier said that a biltong shop, Bike Boutique and the Department of Water and Sanitation building were destroyed in the blaze.
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