Hundreds of people in Malaysia were being treated in hospitals on Tuesday after a huge fire broke out at a gas pipeline operated by state energy giant Petronas, showering flaming debris from the sky and shattering windows.
Authorities said the blaze in the town of Puchong on the outskirts of the capital Kuala Lumpur had been extinguished by midafternoon. They said at least 305 people were affected, including those left homeless after about 190 homes were damaged.
No deaths were reported and the health minister said those admitted to hospital were all in a stable condition.
State news agency Bernama said 145 people had received hospital treatment and 41 had since been discharged, citing health ministry data. They were treated for burns, other injuries and respiratory problems, state authorities said.
The fire started early on Tuesday with a towering flame and billowing smoke that could be seen on the horizon from far away, according to early images on news outlets and footage shared on social media.
Witnesses in evacuation centres described scenes of chaos that started with an explosion.
“The fire was raging high. Once the debris, which was on fire, started to fall all over the place, that's when we knew something bad had happened,” said Raja Hilmy Bin Raja Idris, 59, whose house was 1km away from the fire.