Cape Town - Several investigations are under way following an explosion at a Quantum Foods feed mill in Malmesbury on Monday that resulted in the loss of life.
The explosion occurred shortly after 3pm at the Nova Feed premises in Bokomo Way, with three people seriously injured, one of whom later died.
Department of Health and Wellness spokesperson Leensie Lötter said all three patients were transported via EMS to Swartland Hospital, where they received treatment.
“The two remaining patients are in stable condition and were transferred to Tygerberg Hospital and Christiaan Barnard Hospital respectively.
“Western Cape Government Health and Wellness would like to express our sincere condolences to the family of the deceased patient during this time of loss,” Lötter said.
The explosion took place at a loading zone where raw material is offloaded.
Nova Feeds is a provider of animal feed to the agricultural sector across southern Africa and is owned by Quantum Foods.
An update provided by the company said investigations to determine the cause and impact of the explosion continued and it would provide assistance to the relevant authorities.
When queried as to whether it had been a gas explosion, Quantum Foods CEO Adel van der Merwe said no gas is used in the raw materials receiving area.
“Feed production operations continued during the night and as reported, damage was limited to the raw material intake area,” Quantum Foods/Nova Feeds said in a statement.
In a previous statement, the company said the cause of the explosion was unknown and that no crime was suspected. The Swartland Municipality Fire and Rescue Services said the area has been cordoned off and the rest of the site has been declared safe for continued operations.
Department of Employment and Labour Provincial Chief Inspector David Esau said inspectors were on site yesterday and the department would be releasing an interim report once concluded.
Cosatu in the Western Cape has called on the company to be held accountable should this be found to be the case.
“We call on the authorities and law-enforcement agencies to thoroughly investigate this matter to ensure that justice prevails. The employer must be held liable for any negligence and/or criminal conduct that resulted in this horrific tragedy,” Cosatu provincial secretary Malvern De Bruyn said.
De Bruyn said they would be engaging with the Department of Employment and Labour and the Compensation Fund for Occupational Injuries and Diseases to ensure justice and relief for the affected workers and family of the deceased person “is expedited as required by law”.
The company did not provide a response on Cosatu’s statement when requested and instead directed the Cape Argus to its statements on its website.
Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said Malmesbury police registered an inquest for investigation following the incident. The three victims are aged between 25 and 45.
Twigg said: “The 25-year-old victim succumbed in hospital due to injuries sustained.”
Anyone with any information about the incident has been requested to contact Crime Stop at 08600 10111.