Customers of the Ng Yam Huat food court in Taman Ciku, Bukit Mertajam, Penang, had the scare of their lives when a huge explosion occurred at the eatery on Sunday morning (October 27).
About 10 customers were apparently seen running for their lives after the explosion happened at the food court’s main kitchen at 8:30am, causing damages to the eatery’s zinc roof, hawker stalls, chairs and tables. A part of the kitchen wall had also collapsed.
According to a report by Sin Chew Daily, it is fortunate that no one was hurt in this incident, including the food court owner who was in the kitchen when the explosion occurred.
The owner, 46-year-old Ng Chin Kui, shared that he was preparing a customer’s order in the kitchen of the food court and when he turned on a switch to toast the customer’s bread, the explosion happened.
“My vision went dark for a moment and my ears were ringing. The huge explosion made me freeze and I was unable to do anything but thankfully, I did not suffer any injuries,” he said.
He added that he smelled a strong stench of gas prior to the explosion but decided to ignore it as he was used to the smell of gas in that part of the kitchen.
However, he did not think that turning on the switch to the toaster would cause an explosion.
It is important to be cautious when the smell of gas is present, especially in a cooking area. We genuinely hope that food vendors will be more careful to prevent such incidents from happening.
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