Giant Firestorms in Malaysia Injure Over 140 People
A huge inferno swept across an area near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, after a gas pipeline blew up, sending a gigantic fireball soaring high into the air.
The fire, which was witnessed miles away, ravaged the suburb of Putra Heights in Selangor, injuring at least 145 people, including three children.
The explosion occurred at approximately 8:10 a.m. local time, catching a blush of people living and working around the area. Fire from the ruptured pipeline was up to 30 meters (98 feet) long, creating a high-intensity fire that lasted for hours.
The firefighters finally extinguished the fire totally at around 3:45 p.m., having battled for seven hours to contain the blaze.
Authorities and emergency responders quickly mobilized to rescue people trapped in nearby homes, some of who were severely damaged by the blaze. A total of 190 houses and 148 vehicles were affected, with significant property loss reported in the area. In response to the disaster, temporary relief centers have been set up at local mosques to provide immediate assistance to the victims.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim visited the site of the tragedy to witness the devastation and offer his aid. During the visit, he said that victims would receive compensation in the form of monetary aid and assured the public that the government and Petronas, the national oil firm, would pay for rebuilding the destroyed houses. Rebuilding will take a few months, however.
“We are trying our best to help the victims of this disaster,” said Prime Minister Ibrahim. “The government will closely work with Petronas such that the affected people will be given the relief and the damage would be immediately dealt with.”.
No less than 33 have been confirmed to have been hospitalized, while some are having serious burns injuries. Regional local hospitals were deluged by the casualties and some regional facilities were placed in red alert mode as developments in the situation happened.
The cause of the breakage in the pipeline is under investigation, with the authorities working in close cooperation with Petronas, the owner and operator of the gas pipeline, to determine the exact conditions that led to the explosion. Initial reports suggest that the breakage could have been caused by a technical issue, but further analysis is needed.
This tragic accident points to the dangers posed by the aging infrastructure of industrial pipelines and necessitates discussion on the introduction of strict safety standards to prevent such an event from occurring again in the future.
While rescue efforts continue and the investigation continues, Malaysia’s government has guaranteed that the victims would be supported and the necessary action would be taken to see to it that such tragedies don’t happen again.
