A total of 219 homes were confirmed to have suffered damage following the recent gas pipeline explosion and fire in Putra Heights, while another 220 houses in the area have been declared safe and unaffected.

Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan said the figures were based on the final physical assessment conducted by the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department, utility companies and local authorities.

The inspection covered 439 homes located within a 325m radius of the explosion site.

“Of the affected houses, 87 suffered major damage of more than 20 percent, while 132 sustained minor damage of less than 20 percent,” he told a press conference at the Putra Heights Incident Control Post today.

Hussein added that owners of houses with less than 20 percent damage are now allowed to begin repair works.

A list of these homes will be distributed to the respective owners.

Excavation contractors questioned

Meanwhile, Hussein said police have recorded statements of 118 individuals to assist in investigations over the blast.

He said 15 of them were contractors, sub-contractors, and workers involved in excavation and sewer pipe installation at the explosion site.

"An inquiry paper has been opened to determine whether there are any criminal elements related to the incident," he said

He said police re-excavated the sewage pipe route made by a contractor company and found that it was laid at a depth of 2.1 metres from the existing road surface.

"Further inspection found that the contractor's excavation work did not exceed three metres along the road, with a trench width of 1.5 metres. The excavation and installation work covered more than 30 metres and is believed to have been planned for further extension," he said.

Hussein said the road, which crosses the Petronas gas pipeline, had been approved for excavation work to be carried out by the contractor.

For the purpose of the investigation, his team is using three excavators, a bulldozer, and a backhoe to carry out the digging works, which are still ongoing, to examine the Petronas gas pipeline, believed to be located at a depth of between six and seven metres.

According to him, the police, 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 found that the gas pipeline is located at a depth of 5.6 metres from the road surface, meaning the distance between the sewage pipe and the gas pipeline is 1.6 metres. The physical condition of the gas pipe does not show any noticeable disturbance.

"At this time, whether the excavation works carried out by the contractor had affected the pipeline cannot be determined until the entire gas pipeline in the area is fully exposed and further investigation is conducted," he said.

Meanwhile, Subang Jaya mayor Amirul Azizan Abd Rahim, speaking in the same press conference, confirmed that the city council had received reports from residents via the Complaint Management System regarding excavation work near the incident site.

He said the authorities had investigated the site where the excavation work was being carried out and confirmed that the work had the necessary permits from the Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ) and Petronas, and was in compliance with all required procedures.

38 victims still under treatment

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

A total of 38 out of 146 victims involved in the gas pipeline fire incident are still receiving treatment at hospitals and clinics.

The Health Ministry said that from this number, 18 victims are being treated in general wards in government hospitals whereas 20 of them are in private facilities.

"There are no victims treated in intensive care units and no deaths reported as of noon today,” according to daily data released by the ministry today.

The ministry also said that Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services activities were conducted at two temporary relief centres, namely at the Putra Heights Mosque Hall and Camelia Hall, as well as at the Putrajaya Hospital, with 88 individuals receiving the MHPSS intervention.

- Bernama