Two people have been injured in a “massive explosion” in a Telkom building in Yeoville on Wednesday morning, said Johannesburg emergency services.
“It was a massive explosion. Within a kilometre radius there were windows that have been blown [out] and vehicles damaged,” said spokesperson Percy Morokane.
“It shook the whole ground.”
The explosion in the Telkom building happened after 8am on the corner of Hunter Street and Kenmere Street.
It left a five metre by 15m hole in the ground. A manhole cover was blown about 500m away from the site of the explosion.
Morokane said it was unclear what had caused the explosion.
“It is believed that there were two people in the nearby vicinity. One was a Telkom employee in a very critical condition, the other was a woman, who is being treated for shock,” he said.
Both the injured people were taken to hospital.
Morokane said search-and-rescue teams and dog units were searching for a third person who was believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.
Morokane referred further questions to Telkom. The company could not immediately comment and said it would issue a statement later on Wednesday. – Sapa