| Jusco Melaka explosion site |
Below is the article from The Sun about this incident:
"PETALING JAYA (Sept 28, 2011): A massive explosion triggered by a leaking gas line ripped more than 40 shops at the Empire Gallery shopping mall in Subang Jaya, injuring four people and causing extensive damage to the building early today.
Bystanders and passing pedestrians scurried to safety on seeing the glass shards and wooden panels from the facade of the mall being blown out by the impact of the explosion which occurred at about 3.45am.
About 300 hotel guests of the Empire Tower Hotel, adjoining the shopping mall, were rudely awakened by the blast.
Dozens of police personnel and firemen who arrived the scene within minutes after receiving a distress call evacuated the hotel guests and kept members of the public at a safe distance from the mall.
"I thought I died when the blast threw my girlfriend and me off my feet. I had to carry my girlfriend to safety as she had injured her leg." said Daryl Chua, 27, who suffered bruises from flying glass shards.
Chua and his 23-year-old girlfriend Hibbie Tan, who were among the four people injured, were walking towards an automated parking machine to pay for their tickets when the explosion took place. They were later taken to the University Malaya Medical Centre in an ambulance for treatment.
| WTF 5035...this owner really gonna say WTF! |
They had gone to the mall in separate cars for supper at an eatery in the mall earlier.
Their vehicles which were parked opposite a Starbucks outlet on the ground floor was slightly damaged by debris.
Soon after the incident, police sealed the building for safety reason and it was off limits to members of the public and also shop owners.
| Shattered glass all around. |
Subang Jaya police chief ACP Zainal Rashid said two Nepali security guards on duty at the mall were the other two victims who suffered minor injuries.
He said witnesses told police that they heard a single explosion which shook the ground.
"Forensics teams from the police and Fire and Rescue Department are investigating the cause of the explosion.
"For now, we only know that it is possibly a leaking gas pipeline at the basement floor that caused it. We are checking if there are elements of sabotage.We have also checked the affected areas for others who may be trapped but found none," he said.
Fire and Rescue Department assistant director and head of operations Mohd Shahril Sharul said the first batch of firemen who arrived the scene within five minutes managed to rescue the Nepali guards who were trapped in the lower ground floor.
He said there were only small fires scattered along the building which were quickly put out by firemen, adding that 10 sniffer dogs from his department's K9 unit were also despatched to assist in the probe.
The cost of damage has not been determined.
Police and the Fire and Rescue Department have identified the gas leak in a restaurant located on the lower ground floor of the mall as the cause of the explosion. However, they are still investigating the cause of the gas leak.
The shopping mall has a centralised gas pipe line that ran across 21 business lots.
Meanwhile, Datuk Danny Cheah, the group executive director of Mammoth Empire Group of Companies, which owns the Empire Gallery, said the shopping mall will be closed for an indefinite period for repairs and investigations. Jalan SS16/1 will also be closed.
In a statement, the management of Empire Shopping Gallery said it will be focusing on the well being of its partners and guests.
All guests staying at the Empire Hotel and Soho were evacuated and measures were taken to ensure their safety and comfort.
All operations at the Empire Shopping Gallery has been halted following advice from the emergency response team, it said."
