At least eight people have been killed in an explosion at a South African munitions depot near Cape Town, authorities said.

The blast on Monday occurred at the Somerset West-based Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) depot, a joint venture between Germany's Rheinmetall Defence and South Africa's state-owned arms maker Denel.

"I can confirm that eight people are dead," said Theo Layne, a spokesperson of Cape Town's fire and rescue department.

Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the blast, which shook homes and rattled windows in the area.

The company said in a statement that an explosion occurred at one of its buildings but gave no details on fatalities or injuries.

"We are currently investigating the matter," it said.

RDM manufactures and supplies selected munitions and explosive-related products for armed forces and police in South Africa and around the world.</s>Eight people killed by a blast at munition depot in Somerset West, near Cape Town, South Africa, media said.

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Theo Layne, a fire and rescue spokesman cited by Reuters confirmed that the eight people were dead.

Germany's Rheinmental Waffe Munition GmbH and South Africa's government-owned arms producer Denel jointly operate the Rheinmetall Denel Munition depot where the deadly blast took place.</s>South African authorities say at least eight people have been killed in an explosion at a munitions plant near Cape Town.

Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the blast at the Rheinmetall Denel Munition depot, which shook homes and rattled windows in the area on Monday.

According to the African News Agency, Cape Town fire official Theo Layne says eight people died.

The agency, which is based in South Africa, says several people are missing and that firefighters went to the scene to extinguish the flames.</s>SOMERSET WEST, South Africa — South African authorities say at least eight people have been killed in an explosion at a munitions plant near Cape Town. Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the blast at the Rheinmetall Denel Munition depot, which shook homes and rattled windows in the area on Monday.

Cape Town fire official Theo Layne says eight people died, the African News Agency reports. The South African-based agency says several people are missing and that firefighters went to the scene to extinguish the flames.

The depot said an explosion occurred at one of its buildings and that it was investigating, Reuters reports.</s>At least eight people were killed Monday in an explosion at a munitions depot in Somerset West, near Cape Town, on Monday has risen to eight, Theo Layne, a fire and rescue spokesman said.

"I can confirm that eight people are dead," he said, adding that the cause of the blast was not known.

The explosion took place in the afternoon at a factory belonging to Rheinmetall Denel Munition in the town of Somerset West, about 45 kilometers outside of Cape Town, Layne said.

Firefighters were searching for at least another two workers, according to Layne.

The cause of the explosion, which occurred around 1300 GMT on Monday, was still unknown, the spokesman said.</s>At least eight people have been killed in an explosion at a South African munitions depot near Cape Town, authorities said.

The blast on Monday occurred at the

“I can confirm that eight people are dead,” said Theo Layne, a spokesperson of Cape Town’s fire and rescue department.

Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the blast, which shook homes and rattled windows in the area.

The company said in a statement that an explosion occurred at one of its buildings but gave no details on fatalities or injuries.

“We are currently investigating the matter,” it said.

RDM manufactures and supplies selected munitions and explosive related products for armed and police forces in South Africa and around the world. DM

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Click here to become a Maverick Insider and get a closer look at the Truth.</s>South African authorities say 8 killed in explosion at munitions plant near Cape Town

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African authorities say 8 killed in explosion at munitions plant near Cape Town.</s>An explosion at a South African munitions depot in Somerset West, near Cape Town, has left at least eight people dead, but authorities are still investigating the cause.

The blast occurred at Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) depot, a joint venture between Germany’s Rheinmetall Defence and South Africa’s state-owned arms maker Denel.

“I can confirm that eight people are dead,” said Theo Layne, a fire and rescue spokesman.

The cause of the blast was not known, he said.

Police could not be reached to comment.

RDM said in a statement that an explosion occurred at one of its buildings, but it could not confirm whether there were any injuries or fatalities.

“We are currently investigating the matter,” it said.

RDM manufactures and supplies selected munitions and explosive related products for armed and police forces in South Africa and around the world.</s>At least eight people were killed during an explosion at a munitions plant near Cape Town in South Africa on Monday, authorities said.

Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the blast at the Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) depot at around 1300GMT.

RDM said in a statement that an explosion occurred at one of its buildings, but it could not confirm whether there were any injuries or fatalities.

However, Cape Town fire official Theo Layne said eight people died, as reported by the African News Agency.

"I can confirm that eight people are dead," said Layne, adding that the cause of the blast was not known.

The agency, which is based in South Africa, said a number of people were missing and firefighters were at the scene working to extinguish the blaze.

Rheinmetall Denel Munition is a munitions manufacturer jointly owned by Germany's Rheinmetall Waffe Munition, a subsidiary of the larger Rheinmetall weapons manufacturer, and South Africa's state-owned arms maker Denel.

RDM, which has its headquarters in Munich, manufactures and supplies selected munitions and explosive-related products for armed and police forces in South Africa, as well as countries in Asia, the Middle East, South America</s>JOHANNESBURG, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Four people were killed in an explosion at a South African munitions depot in Somerset West, near Cape Town, News24 online service said on Monday.

The Rheinmetall Denel Munition depot is a joint venture between Germany’s Rheinmental Waffe Munition GmbH and South Africa’s state-owned arms maker Denel. The cause of the blast was not known, News24 reported. Police could not be reached to comment. (Reporting by Tiisetso Motsoeneng Writing by James Macharia Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)
An explosion at a Rheinmetall munition depot near Cape Town, South Africa, kills at least eight people.