The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), in conjunction with the City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS), is currently responding to an incident involving a gas tanker fire on the N12 Westbound before Comaro Road in Bassonia.
Earlier this morning, a gas tanker was stationary on the N12 Westbound when a light motor vehicle collided with the rear of the tanker. The impact triggered a fire.
Regrettably, JMPD can confirm that the driver of the light motor vehicle sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased on the scene.
While the fire has been managed, the scene remains highly volatile. City of Emergency Management Services (EMS) are currently decanting the remaining gas from the damaged tanker into a secondary tanker. This decanting process is expected to take between two to four hours. The decanting process will be followed by mop-up operations which are likely to take several hours as well.
The freeway remains strictly closed to all traffic in both directions to ensure public safety during the transfer of hazardous materials.
The N12 remains a high-risk zone. Motorists are urged to avoid the area entirely and follow these designated diversion points:
* N12 Westbound (Toward Soweto): Traffic is being diverted at the R59 Reading Interchange.
* N12 Eastbound (Toward Alberton): Traffic is being diverted at Comaro Road.
To bypass the significant congestion, consider the following:
1. M1 North/South via the Booysens area.
2. R59 through Alberton.
3. Kliprivier Drive as a local bypass through the Southern Suburbs.
4. Comaro Road via Oakdene.
We urge motorists to exercise extreme patience and avoid the South of Johannesburg entirely if possible until the decanting and mop-up operations are complete.
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Issued by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department Communication Unit #SaferJoburg #JoburgRoadSafety #JHBTraffic