POLICE DENY CLAIMS OF CONCEALING FATALITIES IN PUTRA HEIGHTS DISASTER

KUALA LUMPUR, April 8 (Bernama) -- Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan has denied claims that the authorities are concealing reports of fatalities due to the gas pipeline explosion in Putra Heights, Subang Jaya, Selangor on April 1.

He said there was no reason for the police to do so and he also gave an assurance that every investigation was carried out transparently, with the cooperation of all the relevant agencies.

"(Claims of) hiding fatalities is not true at all… the police have never hidden any fatality cases that occurred in Malaysia and we have nothing to gain from doing such things.

"If any family member or friend says there is a fatality, please come forward to lodge a police report. So, do not make baseless allegations that could cause public anxiety. 

"Police and the government agencies involved are always transparent. All documentation is done individually. Each (agency) will write its own report and conduct its own investigation so that nothing is concealed,” he told a media conference at the Incident Control Post (PKTK) in Jalan Putra Harmoni, Putra Heights, Subang Jaya today.

He said that police have, so far, not received any reports related to property theft from any party.

He added that in their bid to ensure the safety of the property of the affected residents, police have deployed over 120 personnel, including from the Civil Defence Force (APM), to be on 24-hour duty at every junction in Taman Putra Heights, Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru and Kampung Sungai Baru.

"So, if anyone claims to have lost any items, please go to the nearest police station or the mobile police station placed at the temporary relief centre,” he said.

He said that, so far, police have received 675 reports regarding damage to homes and property, in addition to recording the statements of 186 witnesses, including the security guards at the incident site.

Meanwhile, Hussein said 270 of the 437 homes affected in the incident are deemed safe for reoccupation after assessments carried out by the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM), Public Works Department (JKR) and Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).

"Of the 571 vehicles assessed by JBPM, 88 vehicles sustained over 50 per cent damage, 332 sustained less than 50 per cent damage and 151 were not affected,” he said.

The Petronas gas pipeline fire incident at 8.10 am on April 1 resulted in a fire rising more than 30 metres high, with temperatures reaching over 1,000 degrees Celsius. It took nearly eight hours for the blaze to be fully extinguished.

The incident resulted in 81 houses completely destroyed with structural damage exceeding 40 per cent, another 81 houses were partially destroyed, 57 houses were affected but not burnt and 218 houses were not affected.

-- BERNAMA