KUALA LUMPUR: The gas explosion which ripped through the Empire Shopping Gallery in Subang Jaya on Wednesday morning, Sept 28 is suspected to be linked to a gas leak from a lower ground floor unit in the mall.
A statement issued by Empire Shopping Gallery Sdn Bhd on Friday, Sept 30 said the actual cause of the explosion was still under investigation. It added an official result was expected in the near future.
The statement quoting an Energy Commission spokesperson as saying that from its investigation, the central gas piping system in the mall was still in “good condition” while the last inspection by the commission was only conducted in July this year.
Empire Shopping Gallery executive director Datuk Danny Cheah said: “Our gas piping system is designed and installed by BHP, a registered and certified contractor of the Energy Commission. We have been assured that it meets the high industry standards.”
Cheah added since the mall start operations more than a year ago, the management was “singularly focused” on internal best practices in all areas of operations.
To recap, the explosion at the mall was at about 3.45am on Sept 28 which damaged the lower ground and ground floors of the Mall, affecting an estimated 30 units. Four people were injured while more than 300 were rescued and evacuated, news reports said.
The entire complex that includes the 198-room Empire Hotel, Empire Soho and Empire Tower was closed for an inspection by the authorities to ensure the structures were declared safe.
Cheah said Friday that apart from a few units of the mall that are severely damaged, the major portion of the mall remains unscathed. “Rumours of collapsed floors at the lower ground floor are also unsubstantiated,” he said. He added all these premises are ready to commence business soon.
Meanwhile, Empire Hotel targets to resume operations by Oct 15 upon reconnection of the essential utilities.
Its hotel group general manager Ricky Ho said on Friday the hotel staff had done a “tremendous job in safely evacuating over 300 guests in co-operation with the fire and rescue services department”.
The hotel, opened its doors to the public in July 2010 and the average occupancy rate was 82% with an average room rate of RM250.
Apart from some pieces of glass in the lobby, the hotel was unscathed. Following the explosion at the shopping mall, the hotel ensured that within 24 hours of the incident, arrangements were coordinated for guests to have their belongings returned to them.
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