[imagesource: Twitter / @SAPoliceService]

At around 4AM this morning, residents in Milnerton awoke to the sound of a massive explosion.

Tragically, the explosion, which occurred at the Astron oil refinery, has claimed two lives, with six others injured in the blast.

At this stage, the cause of the explosion remains under investigation, with Western Cape minister of local government, environmental affairs and development planning Anton Bredell, saying “the incident is reported to have been on the production side, not storage side”.

A media statement by Astron Energy reads as follows:

Astron Energy immediately activated its emergency response procedures and notified the relevant authorities. The resultant fire has been contained and all work on the plant has been suspended.

Our priority is to ensure the safety of all those on site and further information will provided as soon as we have confirmed the details.

News24 captured this footage in the aftermath of the explosion:

SAPS shared these images on Twitter:

#sapsWC Two people (man and woman) were killed and six other injured in an explosion at the Astron Oil Refinery in Milnerton in the early hours of Thursday, 02 July 2020 at approximately 4:00. The cause of the explosion is still the subject of an investigation. TM pic.twitter.com/jpRAoENpmZ

— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) July 2, 2020

On Facebook, Christell Klopper posted these images:

Finally, anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee shared these images of rescue services on the premises:

Explosion at the Astron Energy Refinery in Cape Town at about 4am. Reports of two deaths and ten injuries. pic.twitter.com/t3HbhD5IZG

— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) July 2, 2020

We’ll update this post if and when more information regarding the cause of the explosion is released.

[source:news24]