A witness describes scenes of panic and a trapped student after an explosion at HELP University’s cafeteria, as police confirm one death and nine injuries.
KUALA LUMPUR: A witness has described scenes of chaos and panic following an explosion at HELP University in Bukit Damansara.
A 24-year-old female student said she saw a fellow student trapped under a fallen ceiling board in the cafeteria.
She also reported seeing another person in the kitchen area who had been scalded by the blast.
“I was unable to determine the condition of the victims and could not help them as I was in a state of panic,” the anonymous witness told Bernama.
She added that the safety alarm was sounding, so her focus was on escaping, which she did unharmed.
A university employee noted the affected building housed management offices, classrooms, and the campus’s sole cafeteria.
The employee, who was in a different block, did not hear the explosion due to the distance.
Police, fire, and safety department vehicles were on scene, with the building cordoned off by authorities.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Fadil Marsus earlier announced that a 24-year-old man, an employee of an air conditioning contractor, died while receiving treatment.
Nine other people were injured in the incident.
The explosion is believed to have originated in the air conditioner maintenance area adjacent to the cafeteria.
