<div style="text-align: justify; "><b><span style="font-size: 1rem;">The death toll from a fuel tanker explosion in a South African city east of Johannesburg last week has climbed to 18, regional health authorities said on Monday.</span><br></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A truck carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) got stuck under a bridge in Boksburg on Saturday, causing a leak and explosion that initially killed 10 people and unleashed widespread damage.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A further eight people have since died of severe burns and injuries, the regional health department said in a statement.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Nine of the 18 victims worked at the nearby Tambo Memorial Hospital, including a driver and eight nurses, after the explosion blew out its windows and collapsed its roofs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A total of 37 people on the hospital site, including 24 patients and 13 staff members, sustained severe burns and were taken to other hospitals.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The explosion caused "extensive damage to private and public infrastructure within an estimated 500 metres (1,640 feet) from the scene", the local health department added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Videos on social media showed a huge fireball under the bridge, which the tanker appeared to have been too high to go under.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was carrying 60,000 litres of LPG, which is used especially in cooking and gas stoves. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>