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Monday, November 05, 2007
Widen probe on mall blast: Ayala
MANILA-- Ayala Land Inc. urged police Sunday to further investigate a deadly blast at one of the group's malls last month, saying it could not have been an accident.
Jaime Ayala, the president of Ayala Land Inc., said local and foreign experts hired by his firm had debunked the police conclusion that the October 19 blast at a Manila shopping mall, which killed 11, was caused by negligence.
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"We don't think negligence is relevant with respect to this incident," he told a press conference, urging police to look at all possible angles, including terrorism.
"It is highly unlikely that methane would be produced in the Glorietta 2 basement sump pits because the conditions for the production of methane in substantial quantities was not present," he said.
Technical study
In Sunday's press conference, Ayala cited a technical study conducted by Dr. Stephen Ethridge, a British specialist on waste water and effluent treatment, and Burgoynes, an international consulting firm specializing in the forensic investigation of fires, explosion and engineering failures.
According to Ayala, among the study's findings were:
* Accumulation of bio-gas in the basement is unlikely because it would have vented via the large open stairwell leading to the delivery bay.
* It is unlikely that bio-gas was present in the basement since personnel working in the basement a day before the incident did not smell hydrogen sulfide.
* It is unlikely that a gas exploding in the basement would have caused the severe damage observed in the loading bay area because at the time of the incident the loading bay was open to the street.
* The diesel tank suffered an internal over-pressure during the incident which resulted in the roof of the tank deforming and tearing along the weld.
* The diesel in the day tank has been tested by a major oil company in their laboratory and the flash point was found to be normal at 76 degrees Celsius (point when combustion takes place) and within specification.
Manila police have said the explosion was an accident and not a bomb blast as initially feared.
Experts from Australia, the United States, and Israel have all backed the findings, which blamed a mixture of gases from a malfunctioning septic tank and a diesel tank in the basement of the mall.
But Ayala insisted the damage, which led to the partial shutdown of the mall, was too substantial to have been caused by a gas build-up.
"We could not say conclusively whether or not there is a bomb crater," he said, adding that his experts had said the twisting of steel reinforcements in the building was consistent with damage usually caused by a bomb.
Ayala also noted that his experts had not been given complete access to the basement of the mall where police said the blast originated.
Ayala meanwhile said he did not expect his firm's bottom line to be hurt by the explosion, as mall operations account for just 17 percent of the conglomerate's earnings. (AFP/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pampanga. (November 5, 2007 issue)
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