KERTEH: The operation to dispose of leaked butane gas at the Petronas Gas Berhad area near the East Coast Rail Link site is projected to require another two to three days for completion.
Kemaman police chief Superintendent Mohd Razi Rosli confirmed that inspections at seven locations with gas detectors recorded zero readings at five sites, indicating the situation is under control.
He stated that only the tunnel entrance where the leak originated continues to register gas presence, affirming complete safety for nearby residents.
“Since the situation is completely safe, tomorrow we will allow the 20 tahfiz students who were evacuated last Sunday to return to their madrasah,” he announced at a press conference at the incident area control centre.
Mohd Razi clarified that construction work at the ECRL site remains temporarily suspended until the gas is fully disposed of.
The burning process utilising two mobile incinerators continues under close supervision from the Hazardous Materials team and Petronas personnel.
Police are maintaining a 500-metre safety perimeter around the site to prevent any untoward incidents.
Petronas installed an additional mobile incinerator at 11.30 pm yesterday in the BU104 area to accelerate the combustion process.
Mohd Razi added that Petronas will proceed with injecting nitrogen into the pipe to ensure remaining butane is safely eliminated if conditions remain favourable.
Terengganu Fire and Rescue Department deputy director Mohd Khairiri Mat Resad said the department deployed two high-tech devices to detect dangerous and flammable gas at the site.
Gas detection and readings are conducted every two hours by the on-duty Hazardous Materials team.
Petronas and the Department of Environment are using drones equipped with specialised devices to monitor gas presence from the air.
Mohd Khairiri noted that Petronas indicated the disposal process requires time as large-scale combustion could adversely affect the surrounding environment. – Bernama
