By Buziwe Nocuze
A Cape Town woman was walking near a scrapyard in Delft on Sunday afternoon when an exploding oxygen tank killed her. The unidentified victim was hit on the head by a flying metal fragment and died at the scene.
Somila Ngundze, a 39-year-old resident, heard the loud noise.
“I was going to the mall when I heard a huge explosion. I looked back and saw people running from the scrapyard,” said Somila.
“I was shocked to hear that the tank that killed her had come from the scrapyard. Talk about bad luck! She was not even close to the yard. I can’t understand it. It didn’t affect the guys inside the yard but killed an innocent person walking by.”
Another resident said the woman didn’t die immediately.
“I have never seen anything as horrible as that. We could see that she was in a lot of pain before she died. It would have been better if she died instantly.
“She’s not from our neighbourhood. It is clear she was just walking by when the explosion happened, and her family doesn’t have a clue about what happened to her,” said the resident.
She said that people at the scrapyard were cutting up the tank when it allegedly fell and exploded.
“The city needs to do something about the scrapyards, especially the illegal ones. They are causing many problems,” the resident said.
Scrolla.Africa went to the scrapyard to find out what happened, but it was closed.
“I think they [scrapyard owners] have run away, I pray that her family will find her,” said the resident.
Western Cape SAPS spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi said when police arrived at the scrapyard at about 3.30pm on Sunday “they found the body of an unknown woman who sustained a fatal injury. Reports suggest that the female was hit by a flying object from a nearby premises”.
“The suspect fled and is yet to be arrested.”
An inquest has been registered for further investigation.
Pictured above: A woman was walking opposite the scrapyard when she was hit in the head by a fragment of metal from an exploding gas bottle.
Image source: Supplied
