PETALING JAYA – Early police investigations on the Putra Heights gas pipeline explosion revealed that heavy excavation work was carried out by a contractor just 30m from the location of the April 1 incident, says Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan.
The Selangor police chief said an excavator and a backhoe were used to replace an existing underground sewerage system in the area and work had ceased on March 30.
He said the excavator was believed to be buried in the soil following the blast of the gas pipeline.
“There was a backhoe and an excavator that was used to carry out the work. The backhoe was removed from the site a day before the incident while the excavator was left behind,” he said.
He said investigations by the relevant authorities on the affected area of the pipeline were hampered due the unstable ground surrounding the site.
“The blast had altered the original landscape of the area causing a hole that is 7m deep and 30m wide. It is surrounded by a crater and the ground is unstable.
“Efforts to stabilise the soil around the affected area are ongoing currently for investigations to be conducted safely.
“As such, a report on the preliminary findings of our investigations would only be ready in about two weeks. Subsequently, it will take another two weeks for the full report on the disaster to be ready,” said Comm Hussein in a much-awaited press conference at the makeshift command control centre set up near the Putra Avenue residential area at Putra Heights on April 4.
Comm Hussein said a two-pronged investigation is being carried out with the Occupational Safety and Health Department (Dosh) probing areas involving breaches in worksite safety and other requirements while the police are investigating if there are elements of negligence or foul play involved in the case.
“The police have also opened one investigation paper, focusing on mischief and negligence.
“To date, we have recorded the statements of 56 people including a security guard who witnessed the blast,” Comm Hussein said.
All forms of aid or assistance for victims of the Putra Heights gas pipeline fire must go through the Selangor government or Petronas, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said this was to ensure that all aid efforts would be conducted in an orderly and effective manner.
“All forms of assistance and coordination efforts related to the fire incident in Putra Heights must be directly coordinated with Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari and Petronas chief executive officer Tan Sri Tengku Muhammad Taufik Tengku Kamadjaja Aziz.
“This is because close cooperation between the Federal Government, the state government, and the industrial sector is crucial in addressing this situation promptly and comprehensively,” he said in a statement on Facebook on April 4.
He added that the Prime Minister’s Office would continue to monitor the ongoing developments and provide full support and assistance for all recovery and safety efforts being implemented on the tragedy.
This comes after news broke that volunteers from Selangor Volunteers (Serv), who wanted to help in the clean-up operation of the affected housing area, were denied entry to the area on April 4.
According to volunteers, the police had declared the area a restricted zone and asked the volunteers to leave. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Join ST’s Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
