KUALA LUMPUR: The Sepang Member of Parliament has cancelled a planned Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house in the wake of a gas pipeline explosion that destroyed dozens of homes in Putra Heights last week.
In a Facebook post today, Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu, who also serves as the Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government, said the event was cancelled as a mark of respect for the victims.
More than 100 families were affected by the blast and fire, which broke out early Tuesday morning when a Petronas gas line ignited.
She also welcomed the Selangor government’s plan to temporarily house the victims at the Seri Suria Apartments in Kota Warisan in Sepang, under the Smart Sewa scheme, which will be subsidised by the state for all 116 affected families.
“My team at the Sepang Parliamentary Service Centre, along with federal and state agencies, is ready to assist and welcome the families,“ she noted.
As part of initial relief efforts, she said the centre will provide 232 mattresses for the affected families, who are expected to move into the temporary housing starting this week.
Flames reportedly reached 30 metres into the air and burned for nearly eight hours. Authorities said 81 homes were destroyed, another 81 partially damaged, while 57 were affected but not burned, while a further 218 houses were untouched.
