KUALA LUMPUR - Four people were injured while more than 300 people rescued and evacuated when an explosion occurred inside an eatery at the Empire Shopping Gallery in SS16, Subang Jaya here early Wednesday.
Four people, who were also trapped in the lower ground floor of the shopping complex that also houses a boutique hotel, were rescued by firemen from the Subang Jaya Fire and Rescue Department.
Several shops including Coach, Tangs and Starbucks were badly damaged in the 3.40am explosion, which sent glass shards everywhere.
Several hundred guests at the Empire Hotel next to the gallery were evacuated in the wee hours in the morning.
The 3.45am gas tank explosion that happened at the outlet located on the lower ground floor also damaged two other floors of the complex.
The injured, including a Nepali security guard and a local, who sustained cuts caused by falling shattered glass, were sent to the hospital for treatment.
Subang Jaya Fire and Rescue Department station chief Mohd Khairi Daud said firemen from Subang Jaya were assisted by their colleagues from PJ and surrounding areas in evacuating the hotel guests numbering more than 300 people.
Firemen said the damage was extensive.
The explosion had destroyed and broke through the concrete floor on the lower ground floor. It also caused damages to the office block and studio apartment next to it.
Firemen are now checking the building structure to ensure its safety.
