Mishal Al-Otaibi and Saeed Al-Khotani Saudi Gazette RIYADH – Prince Muhammad Bin Saad Bin Abdul Aziz, Acting Emir of Riyadh region, announced that a pipeline will be constructed in the capital city soon to avoid the dangers resulting from inflammable gas transported in tankers. Addressing a press conference here Saturday, he said that those killed in a gas tanker explosion in eastern Riyadh early Thursday will be buried after completing investigations. He described the blast as horrific and unusual. He said that damages have not been estimated as yet. The findings of the Investigations Committee will determine which parties have to bear the losses resulting from the blast, the Acting Emir said. Meanwhile, the Security and Safety Committee in the General Administration for Education in Riyadh region said that 11 schools have been damaged by the blast. Sultan Al-Hamad, Chairman of the Security and Safety Committee, said repair work has started in line with the directives of Dr. Ibrahim Abdullah Al-Musnid, Director General of Education in Riyadh region. A source at Riyadh police Criminal Evidence Department (CED) said that if the unidentified bodies were not claimed by families or relatives here, and a claim for them was made abroad, the CED may send experts to take samples from claiming families to conduct a DNA test. Saudi Gazette saw some Pakistanis waiting at Riyadh Forensic Medicine Center and Mortuary Department to present the required documents so as to claim the remains of their acquaintances. “I came here to claim the bodies of three dead acquaintances from the city of Sialkot,” said Muhammed Rafeeq. “I am sure that three of my acquaintances from the town of Gujer Khan were among the dead,” said Imran Akthar. The Ministry of Health has allocated two lines (212-4123 and 212-4133) for inquiries on the victims of the blast. Meanwhile, the National Gas Company has expressed condolences to the families of those killed in the blast involving one of its tankers and has given its own account of the disaster. It confirmed that on Thursday morning the company's tanker overturned and rammed into one of the pillars holding the bridge at Khurais Road with the Sheikh Jaber intersection. The top part of the tank was badly damaged when the 37-ton tanker hit the bridge's pillar causing liquefied gas to leak from the tanker, which was on its way to a Riyadh gas station at Al-Kharj Road, coming from a gas station in Al-Qatif, a company statement added. To get to his destination, the tanker's driver had to travel east of Riyadh, the company said. A huge cloud of leaked gas formed in the air and exploded in a matter of a few minutes when the gas and air mixed, destroying cars and businesses, it said. The National Gas Company said it complies with the Saudi specifications for tankers and their loads and enforces the regulations of the Ministry of Transport. Its work is supervised by the Higher Commission for Industrial Safety and Security, the Civil Defense Directorate and Saudi Aramco, it added. Aramco inspects the safety certificate of each tanker and ensures the tires and electrical system of trucks are in working order. The company will issue another statement outlining the damage caused to properties once the authorities and insurance companies finish their work, it said, adding that the provision of its services will not be affected. Muhammad Al-Shabnan, director of the National Gas Company, said the tanker had a load of 15 to 17 tons of gas when the accident occurred. He also said the tanker was a new model. He added: “We don't know how the driver hit one of the bridge's pillars. “The driver is under investigation by the Civil Defense.” A technical team will assess in two days the damage the bridge on Khurais Road sustained following the explosion, said the Ministry of Transport. Ministry spokesman Abdul Aziz Al-Sameet added that the team will decide whether the bridge is safe for vehicles. The team will also suggest how the bridge can be restored to its original condition and a timeline to accomplish that, he said. Sources told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that the transport committee at the Council of Saudi Chambers will suggest that tankers that transport hazardous products should be accompanied by four vehicles as a way of protection. The sources added this measure will prevent other vehicles from getting too close to the tankers. Undersecretary for social services at the Riyadh Mayoralty, Dr. Ibrahim Al-Dujain, said all roads badly affected by the explosion have been repaired in a short time while the bridge remains closed due to the damage to some of its foundations. The negligence of the driver of the gas tanker was blamed for the accident, said the director of the Riyadh Traffic Administration Maj. Gen. Abdul Aziz Abu Haimed. He added: “The driver's negligence caused the truck to swerve sharply on its right side, sending out gas into the air.” Fuel and gas tankers are allowed to move around the main roads in the city without any restrictions to meet public demand, Haimed added. A number of citizens have called on the authorities to put an end to the dangers posed by fuel tankers that ply roads within city centers. Saud Al-Bugaili, a local resident, says tankers at ring roads and main streets have become a normal sight. He added: “They're everywhere I go and they pose countless dangers. Something should be done to solve this problem once and for all.” He believed special roads should be constructed for tankers and trucks. If this is not practical, then they should be diverted to less-crowded streets and roads, he said. He called on local authorities to conduct several studies and come up with drastic measures. He said: “The destruction in Riyadh Thursday was caused when one tanker, only one, exploded. What about the hundreds of tankers seen traveling on roads every day?” Salih Alsheikh criticized the drivers of tankers who use narrow roads sometimes as a shortcut, jeopardizing the lives of women and children who live in these neighborhoods. Some drivers park the trucks near their houses located inside narrow alleys, he said. Alsheikh called on traffic authorities to apply modern technology used by other countries to reduce traffic congestion caused by trucks. Sultan Al-Mahayawee criticized what he believed were the negligent practices of fuel tankers. “I've seen the drivers of tankers lighting a cigarette inside a gas station with complete disregard for safety requirements and people's lives. How come these drivers do not observe the most simple of safety measures? Don't they care? Don't they realize that such negligence could result in a big catastrophe?” Around 70,000 tankers travel on roads inside the Kingdom's various cities, according to Saeed Al-Basami, deputy chairman of the transport committee at the Council of Saudi Chambers. He said new regulations will be enforced to regulate the movement of trucks and tankers inside cities, including allocated times for them to enter densely populated areas. Meanwhile, Saudi Aramco announced through its spokesman that all tankers transporting petroleum products will be replaced with new and safer ones by the end of 2013. The spokesman said the new tankers will be rust-resistant and made of steel or aluminum to ensure their safety. The process of replacing the current tankers, which have been in service for 25 years, will be gradual and smooth so that supply is not disrupted, added the spokesman. In addition, trains will be used to transport fuel and gas around the Kingdom once the main railway network connecting the Kingdom's regions with each other has been completed, informed sources said. The trains will reduce the pressure on roads caused by these tankers, which were described as time bombs by member of the Council of Saudi Chambers Mahmoud Rashwan, who is also a major investor in gas stations. Rashwan added: “These tankers lack the minimum safety requirements and thousands of them have been traveling daily on the roads.” The current fuel and gas tankers are made of light metal, he said, adding that these tankers are made specifically for transporting water and other liquids. To be in compliance with safety requirements, such tankers should be rust-resistant and shock-absorbent, he explained. “In fact, they should be consistent with international standards.” The director of the Riyadh Civil Defense's safety department, Col. Eid Al-Osaimi, said the National Gas Company's safety requirements are supervised by the Higher Commission for Industrial Safety. Discussing the cause of the gas leak, he said compressed gas accumulated inside a nearby building owned by a company exploded when a spark was ignited, wreaking havoc on the bridge and roads. According to the director of the civil safety department at Riyadh Civil Defense Col. Bandar Al-Jibli, 30 properties including shops and vehicles sustained severe damage. All owners of damaged properties should report to the headquarters of the Riyadh Civil Defense and fill out the necessary forms so that experts can assess the damage. Dr. Fadhel Albo Enain, an economic expert, said the explosion caused damage worth around SR150 million, including SR7 million which may be needed to tear down and reconstruct the bridge. He also said the National Gas Company should be held fully responsible for the accident. Dr. Adnan Al-Abdul Karim, Riyadh Health Affairs spokesman, said 79 injured people have been discharged from hospital in good condition, while 54 remain hospitalized. The latest casualty statistics revealed 133 people were injured while 22 were killed. Spokesman for the Ministry of Health Dr. Khalid Marghalani told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that doctors are running DNA tests on some of the victim's bodies in order to identify them. The results will be out in two days, he added. — With contributions from Soad Al-Shamrani, Abdul Raheem Bin Hassan, Hazim Al-Mutairi, Nawaf Afat, Muhammad Dawood, Mansour Al-Shehri, Abdullah Al-Ghamdi and Muhammad Haddad
