By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-04-02 05:56:21 | Updated at 2025-04-03 06:20:59
1 day ago
Malaysians are demanding answers after a gas explosion in Selangor sparked an hours-long blaze which shot hundreds of metres into the sky, blaming building work above the underground gas pipeline for the accident.
More than 100 people were injured by the intense heat from the giant blaze in Malaysia’s richest state, with victims reportedly suffering from burns and smoke inhalation. Sixty-five people were hospitalised while over 500 remain in evacuation centres, according to a government tally.
The fire, which could be seen from kilometres away, completely destroyed 10 houses and over 300 vehicles and caused severe damage to dozens of other properties near the pipeline in the Putra Heights suburb of Selangor.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said it could take more than a year to repair the damage from the fire, and the authorities were working closely with the relevant agencies and national energy firm Petronas, the owner of the affected pipeline, to find a “reasonable” solution to help the victims.
Petronas said work was under way to mitigate disruption to the country’s gas supply and restore operations “as safely and efficiently as possible”.
But the assurances did little to placate public anger over the disaster, with a growing chorus of criticism over the alleged approval of a construction project above the pipeline that many speculated was the cause of the blaze.
