The quiet town of Worcester in the Western Cape was rocked by a massive explosion on Wednesday morning.
The Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Anton Bredell, says the situation is currently under control with firefighters having commenced with damping down of the area.
Three injuries have been reported, two firefighters with minor injuries and a civilian with burn injuries who have been admitted to the ICU.
Bredell says the situation report indicates that the driver of the tanker reversed into a lamp pole causing damage to the tank, releasing a vapour cloud.
"A civilian bakkie drove through the cloud causing a fire and the explosion. The driver of the bakkie is the civilian currently in ICU with some burn wounds," Bredell says.
Five buildings and two vehicles (the tanker and the bakkie) were completely destroyed and another four buildings have been partially destroyed. There also appears to be some damage to the town's water mains and electricity infrastructure in the immediate vicinity.
Firefighters from Breede Valley Fire Department will remain on the scene until operations have been concluded.
