No signs of crime found in restaurant explosion in Nghe An

Authorities have determined that no criminal signs have been found in the explosion at a hot pot restaurant in Le Mao ward, Vinh city in the early morning of March 20. Photo: Pham Bang

On the morning of March 21, Colonel Le Quoc Bao - Deputy Director of Nghe An Fire Police, said that the investigation agency is still actively examining the scene of the explosion that occurred more than a day ago at building number 5, Tran Phu Street (Le Mao Ward, Vinh City). However, through the evidence collected, the authorities initially determined that there were no signs of criminality in the explosion.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Duc Hung - Head of Fire Police Department No. 1 also said that the company managing the complex at this 2-storey building strictly complied with fire and explosion regulations. "The exact and specific cause must wait for the investigation conclusion. However, initially we determined that it was due to employee negligence," Lieutenant Colonel Hung said, adding that this building has a total usable area of ​​nearly 1,200 m2. It operates services such as karaoke, hot pot restaurant and electronics supermarket.

Mr. Nguyen Tam Ky - Chairman of the People's Committee of Le Mao Ward (Vinh City) said that according to initial statistics, the explosion caused more than 1.5 billion VND in damage to the restaurant owner. In addition, the Le Mao Ward Police are also going to each household around the explosion to count and assess the specific damage. From there, it will be the basis for the restaurant owner to have a compensation plan for the surrounding households.

On the morning of March 21, authorities were still focusing on examining the scene to clarify the official cause of the explosion. Photo: NH

The explosion was determined to have originated in the hot pot restaurant area and then spread to other parts. In this area, there is a system of 8 72 kg industrial gas cylinders that are connected together to serve the restaurant. "On the day of the incident, it is possible that the staff was negligent and forgot to turn off the main valve of this gas cylinder system, leading to a leak," Lieutenant Colonel Hung said. After the gas leaked, the electricity in the restaurant may have short-circuited, causing sparks and then the explosion.

“In addition to these eight connected gas cylinders, according to the restaurant owner, there were about nine or ten gas cylinders in reserve in the warehouse. So far, 17 cylinders have been found,” said the person directly in charge of the fire department, adding that the authorities also did not find any fragments of the gas cylinders. Therefore, the authorities also determined that this was not a gas cylinder explosion but a gas explosion.

Earlier, at around 0:30 on March 20, many residents in the center of Vinh City were startled awake by an explosion coming from a 2-story building on Tran Phu Street. This building normally has about 50 employees working there, but when the explosion occurred, the restaurants were closed for the day.

Le Mao Ward Police (Vinh City) are counting the damage to houses and facilities around the explosion. Photo: Pham Bang

The explosion did not cause any casualties but destroyed many parts of the building. Tempered glass and many materials were thrown hundreds of meters by the force. Many offices and houses within a radius of 100 meters were also affected by the vibration.

Authorities are still investigating the cause and exact damage estimates of the explosion.

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