KUALA LUMPUR (April 5): The gas pipeline explosion and fire incident in Putra Heights, Subang Jaya, Selangor on Tuesday (April 1) has caught the attention of the King, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, as he spent time engaging with and enquiring about the well-being of the victims.

The arrival of Sultan Ibrahim, accompanied by the Raja Muda of Selangor, Tengku Amir Shah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, at the temporary relief centre at Dewan Serbaguna, Masjid Putra Heights, was greeted with deep gratitude by the victims involved, who expressed their heartfelt appreciation for the concern shown.

Sultan Ibrahim also presented personal contributions of RM1,000 each, through Yayasan Sultan Ibrahim Johor, to the 308 heads of households affected by the disaster.

Earlier, the King visited the site of the gas pipeline blaze at about 9.40am and was greeted by Tengku Amir Shah and Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari.

Sultan Ibrahim also spent time receiving a briefing on the incident, which occurred on the second day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, before taking a ride in a Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ) four-wheel drive vehicle to survey the site at ground zero.

Also present were Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay and Petronas group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tengku Muhammad Taufik Tengku Aziz.

As of 8am on Saturday, a total of 382 victims from 99 families were still sheltering at the relief centre, while 109 people from 27 families are housed at the MBSJ Multipurpose Hall (Dewan Camelia) relief centre.

The victims also received cars for temporary use on Saturday, namely 30 cars from Carro and 20 from Carsome after 25 vehicles from Chery Malaysia were handed over to the first group of recipients on Friday.

In addition, Berjaya Corporation Bhd (KL:BJCORP) founder Tan Sri Vincent Tan handed over contributions worth RM3,000 per family for 300 families while Matrix Concepts Holdings Bhd (KL:MATRIX) chief executive officer Chai Keng Wai presented the same amount to another 100 families.

Selangor Investment, Trade and Mobility Committee chairman Ng Sze Han said Panasonic Malaysia will also distribute 240 e-vouchers worth RM500 each for the purchase of home appliances.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPN) director general Datuk Nor Hisyam Mohammad told Bernama that they are actively conducting a final safety assessment at the crater site and it is expected to be completed on Sunday.

"We will present the findings to the Selangor Disaster Management Committee soon. We are also currently conducting water extraction operations at the crater site following overflow due to yesterday’s rain,” he said.

Nor Hisyam said the residents must be accompanied by officers on duty to access the affected residential areas, especially the areas near the unstable crater site, although there is no movement restriction for residents who have returned to their homes.

The fire at the Petronas gas pipeline, which occurred at 8.10am on Tuesday (April 1), saw flames soaring over 30 metres high with temperatures reaching 1,000 degrees Celsius, and it took nearly eight hours to be completely extinguished.

A total of 87 houses have been declared as "total loss” in the aftermath of the disaster while 148 other affected houses that sustained damage are deemed to be safe and can be occupied after repairs.

More than 300 people were displaced and are being sheltered at two relief centres. However, no fatalities were reported.

Read also:
Putra Heights disaster: King visits ground zero
Second batch of Putra Heights fire victims get temporary vehicles
FMM flags significant challenge for 200 businesses amid 20-day gas disruption after Putra Heights fire

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