Malaysian Gas Pipeline Explodes: Press

An explosion occurred at the Sabah-Sarawak gas pipeline in eastern Malaysia on January 12, according to Reuters.

The 500-km pipeline, operated by Petronas, funnels gas from the Kebabangan gas field in Sabah state to Bintulu in Sarawak, where the Malaysian firm runs a major LNG export complex.

Petronas has not commented on the incident.

“The explosion is still under investigation. Due to communication problems and the remoteness (of the site), our team was late in relaying information to our system,” the director of the Sarawak fire and rescue department Khirudin Drahman told Reuters. “But Petronas’ ERT (emergency response team) brought the explosion and a small fire under control.”

The Sabah-Sarawak pipeline has suffered two explosions and one fire since its completion in 2014.