The City of Johannesburg has received a report of a third death following the collapse of a bridge over the M1 highway near Sandton.
“We have received a report that a third person has died but once we complete the site inspection we will be going to hospital to confirm,” Mayor Parks Tau’s spokesperson Phindile Chauke told News24.
The city’s emergency management services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi, though, told News24 that only two people have died thus far from the collapse, with the third person in a critical condition in hospital.
The number of injured remained at 21, with five of those critically injured, he said.
Chauke said around 80% of the debris had been cleared by 08:15, with the city anticipating the highway to be clear for afternoon peak traffic.
The collapse on Wednesday afternoon resulted inWest Street, which had been closed for the EcoMobility Festival, being reopened, traffic lights on Maude Street switched back on, and metro police manning intersections in the Sandton CBD.
Tau said the city had made available free bus services on Thursday via the Gautrain buses, Metrobus, and Putco, and had increased capacity on the Gautrain to help alleviate traffic.
On Wednesday, construction company Murray & Roberts, responsible for the construction of the scaffolding, said in a statement there was still no clarity on the cause.
Its directors and CEO had gone to the scene, with the immediate priority ensuring those affected were taken care of.
