Explosion causes buses to go airborne, almost crush man in Johannesburg

The moment a powerful blast sent a line of minibuses airborne and people on the streets of Johannesburg running for their lives was captured in shocking footage this week.

The closed-circuit footage showed the surreal underground explosion that killed one man and injured another 48 people during evening rush hour in South Africa’s largest city Wednesday.

The startling rumble also cracked open a gaping hole in the road, with a stretch of pavement falling underneath the ground.

One man, whose back was to the street, was seen quickly scurrying away as a heavy white bus nearly crushed him.  

But another man was not as fortunate — firefighters found his body pinned under a vehicle during a search of the area after the explosion.

A dozen victims were in hospitals across the city Thursday, while another 36 had been discharged, officials said.

The cause of the blast is unknown so far. The company that supplied gas to that part of the city said it didn’t think its underground pipes were behind it, which authorities first believed was the case.

City officials said they brought experts in to examine what other pipes or cables were in the area and if another explosion or gas leak was imminent.

“We are still searching for the source,” said Panyaza Lesufi, the premier of the Gauteng province, where Johannesburg is located.

Some residents of the area were forced to evacuate under the threat of another explosion or if they lived in a multi-story building that might fall down. Some were able to return to their homes or businesses on Thursday.

About five city blocks, six roads and 34 vehicles were damaged, authorities said. Some of the vehicles were flipped over on their sides.

Eyewitnesses recounted that some people were sitting in the minibus taxis, waiting to go home when the explosion tossed them in the air.

One man told television station eNCA he was sitting in his car when he heard “a big sound.”

“The next thing, I was in the air and my car was overturning,” said the man, who was shaken but not hurt.

With Post wires