Removing rainwater main focus at Putra Heights blast site today

 

Police said safety assessment work at the site can only resume once the 10m crater at Putra Heights is cleared of rainwater. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: 

The key focus on the sixth day of operations at the Putra Heights gas pipeline fire site is to remove the rainwater that has collected in the 10m-deep crater formed by the explosion, police say.

Subang Jaya police chief Wan Azlan Wan Mamat said safety assessment work at the site can only resume once the crater is cleared of rainwater.

“Our focus this morning remains on the crater as there is still a large volume of water that needs to be pumped out before we can proceed with the safety evaluations,” he told Bernama.

Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan is expected to hold a press conference at the incident’s command site post at 4pm.

Yesterday, fire and rescue department director-general Nor Hisyam Mohammad said the final safety assessment at the crater site is expected to be completed today.

Its findings will be presented to the Selangor state disaster management committee.

The Petronas gas pipeline fire, which broke out at 8.10am on Tuesday, saw flames soaring over 30m, with temperatures reaching 1,000 degrees Celsius. It took nearly eight hours to fully extinguish the blaze.

A total of 235 premises were affected, with 87 houses declared a “total loss” and deemed unfit for occupation, while 148 others can be occupied after repairs.

A total of 399 vehicles were also affected, with 225 burnt and 174 damaged. - FMT