What happened

A large explosion, audible some 25km away, struck the Engen refinery in Wentworth, south of Durban, around 7am, with the resulting fire extinguished within about 90 minutes. Nearby flats were damaged and some caught fire; reports on injuries varied, with up to seven people affected by smoke inhalation and burns. The cause was not established in the cited reporting. The refinery remained closed for months afterward, and Engen later moved to convert it into a storage facility. This was an accidental incident at a licensed industrial refinery, not an attack.

When cited sources give different casualty, damage or spill figures for this event, they’re reported side by side above rather than merged into one number. See how confidence levels work.