Yesterday (Tuesday – April 1, 2025) at around 8:20am, a huge gas pipeline explosion broke out in Putra Heights, Selangor, leaving people from all over Puchong and Subang in a state of panic.
Here is a breakdown of what we know about the incident:
The injured
According to a report by BERNAMA, the explosion and subsequent fire left 305 people injured, due to burns and heatstroke.
Many of the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment, while others received medical assistance at a base set up at the Sri Maha Kaliamman Temple along Jalan Putra Harmoni.
As of now, no deaths have been reported.
The damages
They also reported that a total of 237 properties and 365 vehicles were damaged by the explosion and the heat of the subsequent fire, which reached heights of over 30 meters and temperatures reaching 1,000 degrees Celsius.
Astro Awani also shared how the explosion triggered a ‘sand and dust’ storm to rain down on everything within several kilometres from the location of the incident.
The total monetary value of the damages is still unknown but it is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions.
The displaced
529 people were forced to leave their homes and be placed in relief centres, with 485 taking shelter at the Putra Heights Mosque and another 44 taking shelter at a nearby multipurpose hall, as reported by NST.
Residents were also asked not to return to their homes for at least 48 hours to allow the authorities time to ensure their safety. This led the authorities to temporarily close off 28 hectares of land, approximately 290 square metres in radius, including Taman Harmoni and Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru.
The rescuers
BERNAMA also reported that 78 firefighters, 10 fire engines, 4 Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) vehicles, 5 water tankers and a hazardous materials team were deployed to put out the pipeline fire, which was fully extinguished at 3:45pm on the same day.
The cause
Subang Jaya Mayor, Datuk Amirul Azizan Abd Rahim, shared that a detailed investigation is still being conducted by Petronas, the police and other relevant authorities.
“We need to wait for the results of the investigation to find out the exact cause of the fire and explosion.”
The scandal
People have allegedly raised concerns about the possibility of a pipeline explosion in December 2024, after noticing that there was construction happening near the gas pipeline site, and questioned the legality of a development project there.
It was later confirmed by the Subang Jaya Mayor, Datuk Amirul Azizan Abd Rahim, that the development project did receive the necessary approvals from the authorities.
We genuinely hope that everyone affected makes a speedy recovery from the pipeline explosion and a huge kudos to those who are going above and beyond to assist the victims.
If we left out any important details, please feel free to share in the comments section.
