Watch.. 41 people were injured in a mysterious explosion in Johannesburg

An explosion rocked central Johannesburg at peak time on Wednesday, injuring 41 people and causing massive damage to a main thoroughfare, officials said.

The emergency services had initially reported that the cause of the explosion was a gas leak, but the “Igoli” company responsible for the underground gas pipeline network ruled this out, according to Reuters.

Clip from the explosion published by Reuters

In turn, the company said in a statement that it was “unlikely” that the explosion, which caused the cracking of an airport runway and the overturning of cars, “was caused by a gas pipeline or a leak.”

“Our network has not experienced any pressure drop, which indicates that the gas pipelines are intact. Our customers in the region are still receiving gas without interruption,” she added.

“It is a miracle that there were no deaths,” said Baniasa Lesofi, chief minister of Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg and Pretoria.

41 people were injured

The mysterious explosion injured 41 people, including two in critical condition, nine seriously and 30 minor injuries, according to Lisofi.

Lisofi said that a preliminary investigation did not reveal the cause of the explosion, but confirmed that “the situation is completely under control.”

He added that the experts “will get the full picture and advise us,” noting that “the destruction is great, and the situation is bad (…) it happened at a peak time.”