Canaan Mdletshe
Canaan Mdletshe
Police yesterday refused to say whether the human remains discovered at the chemical depot that went up in flames in Durban two weeks ago belong to missing employee, Meshail Reddy.
Reddy, 22, was reported missing after the explosion and fire at the Island View storage facility two weeks. He was on site with two other workers when the explosion occurred.
Police spokesman Superintendent Vincent Mdunge said sniffer dogs were used in the search for the remains. He said he could not confirm if the remains were those of Reddy.
"At this stage, we can not confirm if they are his as forensic investigations are still to be conducted. It is therefore difficult for us to say exactly whose remains they are," said Mdunge.
He said the remains would be taken to Pretoria for DNA testing. "Only then can we make a proper confirmation. At this stage it is difficult to say how and what really caused the explosion as experts are still battling to find the chemicals that could give them a lead to the cause," said Mdunge.
The first tank exploded shortly after 7pm on a Tuesday night, and was quickly followed by another two tanks containing highly flammable chemicals.
Hundreds of residents on the Bluff flocked to view flames shooting high into the night sky. It took firefighters more than four hours to bring the blaze under control.
Vessels at Island View berths were evacuated as a safety precaution. Also evacuated were about 100 residents on the Bluff, but they were allowed back to their homes two hours later.
Police can't identify remains of Durban blast
Canaan Mdletshe
Canaan Mdletshe
Police yesterday refused to say whether the human remains discovered at the chemical depot that went up in flames in Durban two weeks ago belong to missing employee, Meshail Reddy.
Reddy, 22, was reported missing after the explosion and fire at the Island View storage facility two weeks. He was on site with two other workers when the explosion occurred.
Police spokesman Superintendent Vincent Mdunge said sniffer dogs were used in the search for the remains. He said he could not confirm if the remains were those of Reddy.
"At this stage, we can not confirm if they are his as forensic investigations are still to be conducted. It is therefore difficult for us to say exactly whose remains they are," said Mdunge.
He said the remains would be taken to Pretoria for DNA testing. "Only then can we make a proper confirmation. At this stage it is difficult to say how and what really caused the explosion as experts are still battling to find the chemicals that could give them a lead to the cause," said Mdunge.
The first tank exploded shortly after 7pm on a Tuesday night, and was quickly followed by another two tanks containing highly flammable chemicals.
Hundreds of residents on the Bluff flocked to view flames shooting high into the night sky. It took firefighters more than four hours to bring the blaze under control.
Vessels at Island View berths were evacuated as a safety precaution. Also evacuated were about 100 residents on the Bluff, but they were allowed back to their homes two hours later.
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