THERE was chaos at a clothing shop last Tuesday when a generator exploded.
A 29-year-old shop employee died from smoke inhalation and two people were rushed to Tembisa Hospital after the freak accident at Tembisa Plaza, Ekurhuleni.
Captain Neldah Sekgobela, the Tembisa South police spokeswoman, said an inquest docket was opened.
“There was a power cut and a generator was used for backup so that employees could continue with their duties.”
Sekgobela said workers told the police they heard a loud explosion and then the lights went off.
“All the other employees were busy working at the time while the woman who died had gone to the toilet, which was outside.
“The toilet was near the location where the generator was situated. The woman didn’t come back after the dust had settled and when her colleagues went looking for her, they found her lying dead in the bathroom.”
Karabo Mtshali, a worker, said after the explosion there was smoke everywhere and she felt as if she couldn’t breathe.
“Everyone was running out of the shop to get fresh air. It was a struggle.”
Karabo said she was lucky not to have inhaled a lot of smoke. “It was sad that one of our colleagues died in the accident.”