PUTRA HEIGHTS FIRE DOES NOT BREAK CHILDREN'S SPIRIT TO GO TO SCHOOL

KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 (Bernama) -- The fire and gas pipeline explosion in Putra Heights that shocked the nation last Tuesday has not dampened the spirits of the affected school-going children as they resumed the school session following the Aidilfitri holidays.

Fifteen-year-old Alysya Hanni Shahir was up as early as 6 am to get ready for school, expressing her excitement to return to class despite currently living at the relief centre (PPS) at the Putra Heights Mosque since the incident occurred last week.

“I’m happy because I get to go back to school. Not everything at our house was destroyed, but I can’t go home yet to get my clothes.

bootstrap slideshow

“My house is now a restricted zone, so I can’t retrieve anything. But it’s okay, even without a uniform, I can still attend school,” she said with a smile.

Sharing her enthusiasm is 16-year-old Mohd Aidil Ashraf Mohd Nizam, who looked forward to returning to school, especially with transportation provided.

“I'm excited to go to school, luckily I have sports clothes to wear to school," said the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) USJ 8 student.

Meanwhile, Haslina Nordin, 39, a mother of three, expressed her sorrow over how the explosion has upended her family’s daily routine.

“I never imagined something like this would happen. I’m usually the one who sends my children to school, and I pass through that area where the fire happens every single day. Sometimes, I go through there five or six times a day.”

“But today, my children went to school in a van. That’s what breaks my heart,” she said when met at the PPS at the Putra Heights Mosque.

The Petronas gas pipeline fire at 8.10 am last Tuesday saw flames rising more than 30 metres high with the temperature reaching 1,000 degrees Celsius. It took almost eight hours to completely extinguish the fire.

-- BERNAMA