Selangor: Selangor police have recorded statements of 118 individuals to assist in investigating the gas pipeline fire in Putra Heights, said Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan. He stated that among those questioned were 15 contractors, sub-contractors, and workers involved in excavation and sewer pipe installation at the explosion site.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, an inquiry paper has been opened to determine whether there are any criminal elements related to the incident. Hussein, speaking at a press conference at the incident control post in Putra Heights, noted that police had re-excavated the sewage pipe route made by a contractor company, discovering it was laid at a depth of 2.1 metres from the existing road surface. The contractor’s excavation work did not exceed three metres along the road, with a trench width of 1.5 metres. The work covered more than 30 metres and was believed to have been planned for further extension.
Hussein mentioned that the road crossing the Petronas gas pipeline had been approved for excavation work by the contractor. His team is employing three excavators, a bulldozer, and a backhoe for digging works, which are ongoing, to examine the Petronas gas pipeline, believed to be located at a depth of between six and seven metres. The police, along with Petronas, the Public Works Department (PWD), the Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia (JUPEM), the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), Air Selangor, and the contractor, are monitoring the excavation work.
The police chief added that the gas pipeline is located at a depth of 5.6 metres from the road surface, indicating a 1.6-metre distance between the sewage pipe and the gas pipeline. The physical condition of the gas pipe does not show any noticeable disturbance, and it remains undetermined whether the contractor’s excavation works affected the pipeline until the entire gas pipeline in the area is fully exposed and further investigations are conducted.
Meanwhile, Hussein reported that 642 police reports have been received, including one alleging that fireworks were set off by certain individuals on the night of Monday, March 31, before the incident occurred the following morning. He mentioned that the police do not currently see the likelihood that the fireworks incident could have caused the explosion the next morning, though they are awaiting the full investigation report.
Responding to inquiries about the contractor company’s identity, he clarified that the incident has not been classified as a criminal case, and thus, there is no need to disclose any party’s name at this stage. The focus remains on the scene of the incident as it is still under investigation. The Petronas gas pipeline fire, which erupted at 8:10 am on Tuesday, saw flames rising over 30 metres high, with temperatures reaching 1,000 degrees Celsius, taking nearly eight hours to extinguish fully.