Gas blast victims to be buried after probe

RIYADH: Prince Mohammed bin Saad, deputy governor of Riyadh, announced the construction of a gas pipeline in Riyadh to avoid accidents involving gas trucks.
He expected the investigation into the recent gas explosion in Riyadh, which killed or injured dozens of people, would find the party responsible for the losses resulting from the blast.
Prince Mohammed described the blast as “terrible and unusual.” The victims of the accident are to be buried after the investigations are concluded, he said.
While damages have not yet been assessed, the director general of roads and transportation in Riyadh, Abdul Aziz bin Mohammed Alabd Aljabbar, said that the overpass that the gas truck crashed into causing the explosion will be removed. “There is a new design already to replace the old one,” he said.
Riyadh police chief Maj. Gen. Saud Al-Hilal said the driver of the gas truck had been driving at a high speed when he lost control.
“We didn’t issue a statement about the accident until the stock market opened for trading after the weekend,” said General Director of National Gas and Industrialization Company Mohammed Al-Shabnan. “Statements during the weekend would have affected the market for sure.”
He said the blast was the result of a crack that led to a gas cloud leakage after the truck smashed into the overpass.
The company delivers fuel to 80,000 residents of Riyadh and this can’t be stopped, not for one day, said Al-Shabnan.
“There is a video clip showing one of our drivers on YouTube. It dates back eight years. That driver was at the time under the influence of some kind of narcotic and he was sacked at the spot. All drivers are subject to a periodic checking for narcotics,” Al-Shabnan said.
“The driver didn’t violate the entry time into the city of Riyadh. We identified the entry time of all tankers. The circular roads have a particular lane for tankers,” said Brig. Gen. Abdulaziz Ibouhamd manager of the Riyadh Traffic Department.
“The emergency rooms have received the injured and we are working to expand the emergency sections. The tower at King Saud Medical Complex has a capacity of 500 beds. There are two additional towers, one at Prince Salman Hospital and another at Al-Yamamah Hospital. They have enough space for more emergency cases,” Director General of Health Affairs in Riyadh Adnan Abdulkarim pointed out.
Secretary General of the Secretariat of Riyadh Abdullah Al-Moqbel denied any dysfunction on their part. More than 30 equipment units and 150 employees of the Secretariat of Riyadh have worked with the Civil Defense in clearing the wreckage. “Although we arrived only six minutes after receiving the report, a large crowd had already gathered and blocked access to the site,” said Director of Civil Defense in Riyadh Maj. Gen. Abed Alsjeri.