Govt. urged to intervene following Wehera explosion that claimed four lives

Convenor of the Samagi Joint Trade Union Alliance, Ananda Palitha, yesterday (16) said that the government should initiate immediate action to identify fuel stations where domestic gas cylinders are sold, and industrial gas cylinders are filled in violation of safety regulations.

- BY SHAMINDRA FERDINANDO

Palitha, who represents the SJB, said that successive governments had allowed the dangerous practice of storing LPG at fuel filling stations.

The trade unionist urged the National People's Power (NPP) government to take remedial measures without delay as the recent accidental blast at Laugfs Gas point, operated alongside the fuel station managed by Lanka Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), at Wehera, on the Kurunegala-Colombo main road, underscored the danger in the practice.

“The blast claimed the lives of four persons - two Laugfs employees and two workers of a private company, situated on the Puttalam-Kurunegala road, who brought in several industrial gas cylinders to be filled at the Wehera filling station,” Palitha said, adding that four others received injuries and were rushed to the Kurunegala Hospital.

Responding to another query, Palitha said that there had never been such an incident at a fuel station/gas filling station before, though the government allowed this dangerous practice. According to Palitha, the blast and fire that happened on the night of 07 April, close to midnight, could have claimed more lives if the accident had occurred a few hours before, when the place was crowded.