Underground gas erupts at highway construction site in Sarawak

A spokesman for the state fire and rescue department’s operations centre said the Lawas station received a report at about 12.35pm after workers noticed gas escaping from the ground, Berita Harian reported.

He said the station dispatched a team of firefighters who arrived at the location, 18km away, at 12.50pm.

Initial monitoring indicated that a contractor had carried out drilling work at the highway construction site and had reached a depth of about 45m when gas began erupting from beneath the ground.

“As of 1.25pm, the site is still releasing gas, and monitoring efforts are ongoing,” said the spokesman.

He said firefighters immediately established barriers 30m from the site to prevent the public from entering the area.

The contractor was also advised to suspend all drilling activities until authorities carried out further inspections.