SUBANG JAYA, Selangor: On the second day of Hari Raya on Tuesday (Apr 1), Zainab Manap was at her home in Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru, Puchong, when a massive blast shattered the festive calm.
Initially, she mistook the deafening sound for a plane crash. Little did she know, this terrifying noise was the explosion of a gas pipeline, an event that would soon capture international attention.
Zainab and her family, including her three grandchildren, managed to escape in their car, driven by one of her sons.
“I don’t know the condition of my house but I can only hope that it is fine. It was supposed to be a time of celebration but this incident occurred instead,” she told CNA.
At the time of writing, she still hasn’t been able to go back to her home as the authorities deem it unsafe to do so.
She was speaking to CNA at the Putra Heights mosque, a temporary sanctuary for victims of the incident, where a palpable mix of despondency, relief, and frustration hung in the air as residents rested in the tents set up for them.
For Zainab, this is not the first time she has faced adversity. She said that in December 2021, her house had been inundated by heavy flooding, with the house rebuilt after that.
“I think this is a bigger test than the floods but one that we have to accept is from God. There were some people who were burned by the flames so I have reason to be thankful,” she added.
Zainab and other residents affected by the huge blaze that erupted in Selangor’s Putra Heights face an anxious wait on when they can return home, not knowing what’s left of their possessions or the extent of the challenging rebuilding effort that lies ahead.
The police had said earlier in the day that 235 premises in total were affected by the fire while 399 vehicles were damaged.
