SUBANG JAYA, April: An excavator was found buried at the site of the Putra Heights gas link explosion, which took place on Tuesday, April 1, Selangor Police Chief Hussein Omar Khan said at a press conference here today.
He said preliminary police investigation found that that excavation activities were ongoing 30 metres away from the explosion site up till March 30th. He, however, said the police cannot confirm if anyone was manning the excavator when the explosion took place or if the activity itself had been the cause for the explosion.
He said the digging activities were said to be undertaken to replace existing sewerage pipes at the site.
The police would need at least two weeks to carry out more investigation to look at all the possibilities for the explosion, he said, adding that police were talking to contractors and workers who were involved in digging or other activities in the area.
He also said the police were also looking at ensuring stability in the area as the explosion has brought about some instability to the soil structure there and stabilising the area would be a priority before ensuring that a full investigation can be carried out.
A preliminary report from the police would be out by two weeks unless any further delay is brought on such as heavy rain, which has also caused a backlog of water in the area.
He said the police had also received several videos from witnesses that they had looked into.
As for casualties so far, he said, the police had searched the area and also the river area nearby and so far there have been no indication of any casualty.
— WE