One person was found dead under a pile of cars in the early hours of this morning, following the gas explosion that ripped through Bree Street yesterday afternoon. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi updated the media this morning and said that he doesn't want to speculate what could have caused the explosion. Parts of the Johannesburg CBD have been blocked off to investigate the cause and in case there is a secondary explosion.

Lesufi said 48 injuries ranging from minor to severe have been reported by the Emergency Services, who have set up an operations center at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown. He added that however, only 12 people remain in hospitals. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi says the Human Settlements Department is due to provide accommodation for residents who had to evacuate their homes after the explosion. He said temporary accommodation has been organised in Kotze for those who are temporarily displaced. 

On Wednesday night, Egoli Gas dismissed claims that it was responsible for the explosion. They said in a statement that they have reason to believe that the explosion was not caused by a gas pipeline or leak. "Our network has not experienced any pressure loss which indicates the gas pipelines are intact. Our customers in the area continue to receive gas uninterrupted." Egoli Gas said their teams are on site investigating for any gas leaks and they have found none so far. "We reiterate that our gas pipelines are on the side of the roads in road servitudes which are intact in the CBD including Bree Street." Later the same evening, the gas company issued another statement saying they have detected a small leak where the explosion took place. "A small leak has been detected on the servitude pipeline of corner Bree and Ellof on a 100mm pipe. We believe the crack in the pipe has been caused by the collapse of the road. Our team is busy repairing the road," the statement read.

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the Bree Street substation remains switched off The substation serves large parts of the inner city including, residences, businesses, and traffic lights. Mangena said they feared that switching on back the power might ignite the gas.