RIYADH – More than two months have passed since the horrendous gas tanker explosion in Riyadh that killed 24 and injured 133, but people with damaged property have not been compensated yet, according to Al-Watan newspaper. The majority of them complained that the compensation procedures have been slow and do not know which authority they should contact regarding the procedures and are calling for the responsible parties to expedite these procedures. One of them said his house's windows, entrance door and some doors inside were broken and he had to pay SR5,000 out of his pocket to have them fixed and replaced. Although he said the committee that assessed the damage did its job well, he complained that he did not know what procedures to take in order to get compensated. Another victim said all of his stores near the explosion site were destroyed from inside, forcing him to pay SR10,000 in repair. He has started to lose hope that he would ever be compensated. Another citizen paid SR15,000 for repairs done inside his house after the explosion. He is still waiting for compensation. The committee that assessed the damage included members from Riyadh Civil Defense, the Ministry of Finance and the municipality. The committee started its tasks in early November immediately after the accident and finished the assessment process in 10 days, as it received compensation requests from citizens with damaged properties. The Civil Defense said the tanker carrying butane gas hit the bridge on the Khurais Road-Sheikh Jaber Street intersection in the eastern part of the city at about 7.30 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2012, causing a gas leak and an explosion in a nearby heavy machinery and vehicles warehouse. The warehouse, several stories high, was leveled by the blast, which also caused severe damage to other neighboring buildings. Rubble, twisted metal and shattered glass littered a wide stretch of the surrounding area. The explosion was so strong that it brought down an industrial building and torched nearby vehicles, eyewitnesses had said. Insurance experts have estimated the damage caused by the accident at more than SR1 billion. A Civil Defense spokesman said the tanker driver was surprised by a road accident on the route, causing his to crash into one of the pillars of the bridge. He said the explosion and fire happened after leaked gas filled the area.
