A shocking video has captured the moment a man in South Africa narrowly avoided being crushed by minibuses that were probably thrown into the air by an underground gas explosion.

Footage taken during rush hour in the country’s capital Johannesburg on Wednesday shows a number of minibuses thrown several metres into the air as the explosion ripped open a road.

Pedestrians can be seen jumping out of the way, including a man who appears to be a street vendor who narrowly escaped being hit by a bus.

One person was killed and 48 were injured in the explosion.

Fearing a second explosion or the collapse of multi-story buildings in a run-down part of the city, people were evacuated from the area.

Huge cracks and holes had opened up in the middle of the streets, some so big that vehicles slid into them.

“Buildings are in danger of collapsing,” said Panyaza Lesufi, premier of Gauteng province, where Johannesburg is located. “The damage is enormous.”

Mr Lesufi said he counted 23 vehicles overturned by the explosion.

He said gas was probably the cause of the explosion, but it was not clear whether it came from a leak in the city’s underground pipes or another unknown source.

The explosion occurred at 5pm local time as many people were gathering on the street to take a minibus taxi home. Several minibuses and other cars were lying on their sides or on their backs, some even on top of each other.

According to witnesses, there were already people in some of the minibuses when they were thrown into the air by the explosion.

A man who did not give his name told television station eNCA that he was in his car when he heard “a loud noise”.

“The next moment I was airborne and my car flipped over,” he said.

Rescue workers searched the wrecked, overturned vehicles and surrounding buildings. Mr Lesufi said there could be more injuries. He said it was surprising but also a relief that no fatalities had been reported.

Mr Lesufi said rescue workers were concerned about the amount of gas that had leaked.

“This place is still dangerous,” said Mr Lesufi.

Immediately after the explosion in busy Bree Street in downtown Johannesburg, people were seen running as smoke poured out of a crack in the road.

Earlier this month, 17 people, including at least three children, died in an informal settlement on the outskirts of Johannesburg when toxic nitrogen gas leaked out. The cause was said to be an illegal gold processing plant in the settlement.