RIYADH — A safety engineer from the Civil Defense said the government should act now to relocate gas companies and their branches. To avoid any future disasters, he recommended relocating such companies 40 to 50 kilometers away from residential areas. Gas companies that are already in residential neighborhoods represent a disaster waiting to happen, he told a local newspaper. Any fire will destroy nearby houses and cause many deaths, he added. Underground gas lines, he said, pose great danger as they may be ruptured by maintenance work on the streets. An example of this danger was evident in the rupture of an underground gas line in Mexico that caused huge destruction and claimed the lives of thousands. Gas explosions cannot be controlled, the engineer said. The engineer's comment follow the recent gas tanker explosion in Riyadh that claimed many lives and injured countless others. Nearby buildings were also damaged beyond repair. He said if a whole gas center exploded, the scale of the fallout would be unthinkable. Residents of the Kilo 14 neighborhood in Jeddah said they face grave danger from a nearby gas plant. They said they have become weary of urging local authorities to relocate the gas plant and are planning to submit a petition after collecting 1,000 signatures. The ongoing increase in property prices and rent prevents them from moving to other neighborhoods, they said. They claimed close to 1,000 trucks come and go from the plant, which is currently being expanded. Deputy Director of Makkah Civil Defense Brig. Abdullah Jeddawi said that they have spoken to various authorities about the danger the gas plant poses. These authorities, he said, approved relocating the gas plant and recommended carrying out a study containing contingency plans to deal with emergencies. A study that identifies the dangers of all industrial plants and the means to avoid such risks was prepared. The study was submitted to the authorities, he added. The gas tanker exploded after colliding with a flyover in Riyadh and seeping gas from the vehicle reached a nearby heavy equipment showroom, which also blew up. Other smaller explosions also occurred from nearby vehicles set ablaze by the blast. Many people who were injured have left hospital while 12 are still in intensive care. The death toll is so far 26.
