Dozens of residents in Springs informal settlement left destitute after explosion
Preliminary investigations suggest the explosions are used for illegal mining activity and were hidden inside the shacks in the informal settlement.
Picture: X/SAPoliceService
JOHANNESBURG - Dozens of residents in Springs informal settlement in Ekurhuleni have been left destitute in cold temperatures after their homes were destroyed in an explosion.
On Friday, police and emergency services cordoned off the area in Slovo Park when the blast ripped through the area.
Preliminary investigations suggest the explosions were used for illegal mining activity and were hidden inside the shacks in the informal settlement.
The community of Slovo Park has raised concerns on the rampant illegal mining activity in the area.
On Friday, several homes were destroyed in an explosion, in what is believed to have been caused by bombs used in the illegal mining industry.
According to police reports, two people were injured as a result of the blast and were rushed to nearby hospitals.
The area was closed off to traffic to allow the police’s bomb squad to comb the area for any more possible explosives.
Disaster management teams were set to assist the displaced families and find temporary accommodation.