GEORGE TOWN: An elderly man suffered multiple injuries on various parts of his body when he was believed to have been struck by a wall which collapsed, following an explosion at his apartment unit in Desa Green Apartment, Jalan Paya Terubong here today.
According to a Fire and Rescue Department spokesman, the 62-year-old man was at home with his son, daughter-in-law and grandson during the explosion, which occurred at 8.16am.
“When the fire-fighters arrived at the scene, part of a room wall had collapsed and the impact of the explosion also caused the wall of the next door house to crack,” he said.
Meanwhile, Timur Laut Police chief ACP Che Zaimani Che Awang said the explosion was believed to have been caused by leaking gas.
“The powerful explosion occurred when the elderly man wanted to light his cigarette in the living room which was filled with gas leaking from the hose of a gas cylinder,“ he said adding that the man, who also suffered burn injuries, was in stable condition at the Penang Hospital.
He said the victim’s son, daughter-in-law and grandson, who were sleeping in their bedroom when the blast occurred, escaped unhurt. — Bernama
