JOHANNESBURG—The death toll from an explosion of a tanker truck on Christmas Eve near eastern Johannesburg has risen to 34, including 10 health workers at a nearby hospital, officials report.
The truck was carrying gas when it got stuck under a low-lying bridge in the town of Boksburg, sparking flames. As firefighters tried to extinguish them the tanker exploded, according to emergency services officials.
A “fire bomb” from the explosion substantially damaged Tambo Memorial Hospital, located about 100 meters (110 yards) away, authorities said. Several health workers were in the hospital’s parking lot, some about to leave after their shifts and others trying to move their cars away from the fire….