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The blast caused chaos in the Durban suburb of Merebank on Friday morning.
Engen’s refinery in Wentworth Durban is engulfed in flames after an explosion. Image: Riosha Kuar
DURBAN – Authorities in KwaZulu-Natal confirmed on Friday that at least one house caught fire following an explosion at an Engen refinery south of Durban.
An elderly woman and her two grandchildren were in the house at the time and had to be hospitalized as a result. At least seven other people were being treated for mild to moderate smoke-related injuries.
ALSO READ: Seventh person hospitalized after refinery explosion, community to press charges
The blast caused chaos in the Durban suburb of Merebank in the morning.
Resident Michael van der Westhuizen said Eyewitness news about the dramatic events.
“We were awakened by a tremor. It sounded like a bomb or a plane falling on a roof. But when we ran out, we noticed big flames near the oil refinery and we were really scared. We thought about running away in case something else happened, ”he said.
PHOTOS: Engen refinery explosion engulfed in flames and black and blue smoke
KZN’s Economic Development MEC Ravi Pillay said they were investigating what went wrong.
“Our main concern is to assure the community that things are stable and that there is no immediate risk,” said Pillay.
Thandeka Cele, a spokesperson for Engen, said they would focus on preventing more incidents like this one.
“Once we know what has happened, there will be action results that will come out of that in us terms, then closing any existing gaps and making sure an incident like this doesn’t happen again,” Cele said.
The refinery was temporarily closed to allow investigators to do their work and to ensure that the site is safe.
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