KUCHING: The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) has been urged to prepare a through report on the gas explosion from a restaurant at the CityONE Megamall here yesterday.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the report was needed to identify the cause of the incident which claimed three lives and injured 44 shoppers.
He stressed that any findings throughout the investigation would help the authority to re-analyse the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), including relevant guidelines.
“Initial investigation showed the blast came from gas explosion, but we want to know what really happened, how it happened and other relevant elements.
“This can help the authorities involved in this kind of case to improve and prepare so incident like this won’t happen in the future as it involves public safety,” said Uggah, who’s also the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee chairman, when met at the scene today.
He was accompanied by the state Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian.
In the 3.30pm incident yesterday, an explosion occurred from a restaurant at the mall, believed to be from gas leakage in the kitchen.
The impact caused the ceiling and wall of the restaurant and some other shops nearby to collapse and fell onto two contractors and a restaurant worker.
The three who were killed had been identified as O Kui Lim, 49 and Tchee Kiam Jong, 24, both from Kuching, and Chin Hsien Loong, 29, from Butterworth, Penang.
Uggah said the state government would work closely with JBPM, specifically on safety aspect on office buildings, commercial premises and malls to avoid any untoward incident.
“This tragedy is an accident and there’s no criminal element. We should learn from this so it won’t happen again.
“We also would like to thank the rescue team, especially JBPM, for their swift action in handling the situation at the mall,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sarawak JBPM assistant director Tiong Ling Hii, when contacted, said the department’s forensic team re-entered the location this morning to conduct a thorough investigation.
The department, he said, also placed personnel at the mall to check the surrounding, including other possible leakage.
It is understood that the mall has halted its operation until it’s deemed safe.
