Twenty one more gas explosions

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Twenty one more gas explosions had been reported in the 24 hours that ended at 6 am yesterday (20), police said. They included blasts at Udupussellawa, Kantale, and Yakkalamulla. One of the blasts occurred due to a fault in a Laugfs gas cylinder.

The police added that six out of the 21 incidents had been reported from the Western Province. So far a total of 836 explosions caused by gas have been reported since 01 November.

The Ministry of Co-operative Services, Marketing Development and Consumer Protection has ordered Litro and Laugfs Gas Companies to adhere to the guidelines stipulated by the Court of Appeal. The Ministry said that gas companies should distribute only the cylinders that had been approved by the Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI). The two gas companies must also display the gas composition of butane and propane prescribed by SLSI on their cylinders. The Court of Appeal further instructed the two gas companies to recall full and unused gas cylinders in the market or with consumers who wished to have them replaced. This must be done free of charge

Officials have taken gas samples from two ships carrying gas, Epic Bird and Epic Balta. The gas in these shops won’t be allowed to be offloaded until the test results are known. Samples were taken on Sunday. However, gas from the ship PCG Periklis was allowed to be offloaded.