4 Myanmar illegal workers injured in gas tank store blast
The New Straits Times Online, 11 September 2013
MUAR: Four Myanmar workers were injured after 15 gas tanks exploded inside a store-cum-factory here on Tuesday night.
The victims suffered serious burns in the 8.40pm incident here which occurred at a factory which is used as a store for the subsidised gas tanks at the Parit Bakar Industrial Area.
They were rushed to the Sultanah Fatimah Specialist Hospital for treatment.
It is believed the factory stored over 300 gas tanks, each weighing between 14 and 50kg, and only operates at night using illegal foreign workers.
The impact of the explosion damaged the entire structure of the store, and also caused damage to the walls of the factory next door.
The fire also engulfed the factory following the explosion.It is learnt that some of the illegal workers tried to hide after the blast but were found about 50 metres away from the site by nearby residents who rushed to the scene.
Muar Fire and Rescue operations chief Ismail Mahmood said two fire engines with 18 firemen were deployed to the scene after the department received a distress call.
Ismail said that a number of tanks were found to be in flames, forcing them to cordon off the area to ensure public safety and control the spread of the fire.
"It took about an hour to control the fire and preliminary investigations revealed that loss was estimated at more than RM300,000," he said, adding that the workers also stayed in the store.
