"I found smoke and blood everywhere." This is how a worker at a plush Durban home described the scene after a letter bomb apparently exploded on Friday afternoon.

Reports from paramedics at Steven Dlamini (formerly Essenwood) Road indicate that five people were injured - three members of the Khan family‚ and two delivery men who dropped off the parcel that flowers and a card.

A family member‚ who did not want to be named‚ said one person had a broken leg and another lost a thumb in the blast. They were taken to hospital in a private.

Another family member said he narrowly missed becoming a victim because he was driving along the road at about 12.30pm when the bomb went off. Still in a hospital gown after helping the victims‚ he confirmed that at least two women were among the injured. He said he would be going back to the hospital to check on his relatives.

Two of the family's vehicles were torched two months ago‚ although the reasons for this remain murky‚ according to reports. Attempts to get comment from the police were unsuccessful on Friday afternoon.

Yaseen Allie‚ who works on the property‚ said he was in the bath when he heard the bell ring. Soon after that he heard people screaming.

"When I went inside [the house] I found smoke and blood everywhere. Everybody was injured there. I tried to help them into the car and to hospital‚" said Allie‚ who was standing outside the property as police and fire department crews moved in.

"When I asked what happened‚ they said somebody brought a box of flowers for the boss. They said in the box was a letter that said 'get well soon'. When they opened the flower and box … the bomb burst‚" said Allie.

The house is owned by one of the directors of the Willowton Group of companies. Mohammed Hassan‚ the grandson of Willowton executive Farook Moosa‚ said the property was being leased through an agency and that the family didn't know the tenants.

He said the family was baffled by the attack. "We don't believe our family was the target of this attack. It is a shock for us. No one just attacks a house like this‚" he said.

The road has been closed in both directions.