30-06-2025
Ground subsidence behind Putra Heights pipeline explosion, says DOSH
SHAH ALAM: Ground subsidence has been identified as the cause of the underground pipeline explosion in Putra Heights on April 1, authorities said
The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) Malaysia Petroleum Safety Division director Husdin Che Amat said the ground beneath the pipe was not being strong enough to support the weight and pressure of the pipe, causing it to become unstable, leak and eventually explode.
He said based on the findings, the gas pipe involved in the incident met all technical and safety specifications.
"However, the lower part of the pipe was found to be not fully supported by the soil (unsupported segment) which was identified as soft and damp.
"This resulted in a physical failure of the pipe section at the incident location, causing a gas leak that caught fire.
"This weak soil caused the pipe to move repeatedly (cyclic loading), which created stress lines and fatigue striations on the pipe surface," he told a press conference today.
Husdin said the metallography analysis showed that tensile overload was the main cause of the failure.
"This damage developed slowly until it caused ductile failure which released gas and started a fire.
"In conclusion, the pipe failure was caused by the soil under the pipe not being strong enough to support the weight and pressure of the pipe, causing it to become unstable, leak and eventually explode.
"The location of this failure was not due to activities on the ground surface, but because the soil underneath did not support it well."
He said DOSH conducted a comprehensive investigation for almost three months in collaboration with the Department of Minerals and Geosciences, the Public Works Department, the Fire and Rescue Department and the police.
The investigation was conducted under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (Amendment 2022) and the Petroleum (Safety Measures) Act 1984.
The investigation process involved visual inspections at the scene, measurements and checks of gas pipe components and the collection of samples for laboratory analysis.
On April 1, a massive fire broke out at a Petronas gas pipeline in Putra Heights, Subang Jaya, causing widespread panic as flames shot into the air.
The heat from the flames, visible for kilometres away, melted plastic and metal within a wide radius of the pipeline.
Some 145 people, including three children, were affected, with a number of victims suffering second-degree burns.
A total of 227 houses and 365 vehicles were damaged in residential areas near the pipeline.
