Foreign experts: No bomb in blast
Foreign experts who helped police investigators in the Glorietta 2 explosion two weeks ago have ruled out the possibility of a terror attack, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr. said yesterday.
Razon said the foreign investigators have furnished him a copy of the report which corroborated the police theory of a gas leak explosion.
The foreign experts who helped the PNP in the investigation of the blast include those from
Razon said all of the foreign experts were convinced that an accidental blast took place, pointing out the proximity of lethal gases and the absence of any explosives from the scene.
Razon earlier stressed the blast was caused by a deadly reaction of methane coming into contact with diesel fumes at a poorly ventilated basement of the high-end mall.
Local investigators led by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and government occupational safety experts from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) also pointed to the poor ventilation in the basement that might have contributed to the gas explosion.
The explosion that rocked the upscale Glorietta 2 shopping mall in
Authorities initially suspected a terror attack but the absence of any traces of explosives and the presence of volatile fumes at the scene led PNP investigators to believe the explosion was accidental.
Razon said the evidence gathered by the foreign investigators pointed to a destroyed portion of the mall indicating an accidental gas explosion took place.
Razon said the PNP is in the process of incorporating the findings of the foreign experts in its final report on the blast.
“It’s almost complete and the evidence gathered so far showed that it heavily tilted towards an industrial accident,” Razon said.
Once the findings are complete, Razon said the PNP will move to file the appropriate charges or assist the victims in filing a class suit against the mall owners.
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Geary Barias, the designated spokesman for the police investigating the incident, said they are wrapping up the investigation.
Barias assured that once the police findings become final, the next thing is to pinpoint the culpability of the mall owners.
Ayala Land Inc. (ALI), the owners and operators of Glorietta, earlier debunked police theories of an accidental blast, insisting that the facility was in order.
ALI spokesman Alfonso Reyes said they will still wait for the official report on the incident before issuing any statements.
“We will wait for the issuance of their official report before making any reaction to whatever their findings are,” Reyes said.
“We are hoping that the PNP will release its report on the blast as soon as possible so that we will be able to evaluate the findings and be able to come up with a response,” he said.
Reyes said ALI will conduct its own investigation. - With Jaime Laude, Jose Rodel Clapano
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