Source: Saba News Agency
Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak received the report of the investigation committee into the fire and explosion incident that occurred at a gas pump for filling vehicles in Al-Mansoura district, the interim capital Aden. The incident resulted in human and material losses.
This took place during the reception of the Prime Minister in the interim capital Aden, on Thursday, for the committee formed by Prime Ministerial Decree No. 36 of 2024. The committee was headed by the Director General of the Yemen General Corporation for Oil and Gas, Mohammed Awad Thabet, and included the membership of the Undersecretary of Aden Governorate Salah Al-Aqeel, the Head of the Civil Defense Authority Mohammed Al-Shaban, the Director General of Criminal Evidence at the Ministry of Interior Abdul Rahman Bahmish, the representative of the Ministry of Legal Affairs and Human Rights Mohammed Bahashwan, and the Director General of Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Justice Fawaz Al-Awadani.
The Prime Minister was briefed by the committee on the work mechanism it followed and the field visits it conducted to the site of the incident to inspect the damages and investigate the facts and circumstances of the incident. The committee also reviewed and studied all data and investigation results reported by security services and relevant authorities in Aden Police, the Civil Defense Authority, the General Administration of Criminal Evidence, the Yemen Gas Company, and the local authority. The committee reviewed the details of the fire and explosion incident and the resulting losses, confirming that the exploded pump was unlicensed by the Yemen Gas Company and the local authority, and that it was operating without adhering to providing the minimum safety and security requirements supposed to be available in gas stations and pumps.
The committee reported that the current number of gas pumps in Aden is 122, of which 77 are in violation and unlicensed.
The investigation results report included several recommendations, including the need for security services to expedite the ongoing investigation procedures regarding the Taj pump explosion incident and to bring its owner, Mohsen Abdullah Al-Hadi, who is still at large, for investigation and to determine the real causes behind the explosion. It also recommended taking the necessary measures to form committees from relevant authorities to re-evaluate and rectify the conditions of existing gas pumps in Aden and liberated governorates, and to define the legal procedures necessary to be applied against violating pumps that do not meet the standards and conditions for granting licenses, safety, and security.
The committee recommended issuing urgent directives to the relevant authorities responsible for granting licenses for gas pumps, to stop granting and renewing licenses for gas pumps until the committees finish their evaluation and correction work on their conditions and agree on a unified guide and mechanism for organizing the process of granting licenses.
It also stressed finding solutions to achieve coordination and cooperation between the Yemen Gas Company and local authorities in the governorates to organize the conditions and work of gas pumps and supervise them properly, and to ensure the permanent availability of gas. The committee also assigned the Yemen Gas Company with developing a mechanism to regulate the sale and distribution of gas quantities, and obligating the relevant authorities to take the necessary measures to tighten control over workshops that carry out operations to convert car fuel systems from gasoline to gas, and to verify the quality and validity of the materials and equipment used in the conversion operations.
Dr. Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak praised the committee’s report, the completion of its work in record time, and the proposals and recommendations it presented. He stressed that the committee’s recommendations would be turned into binding decisions at the central and local levels, and their implementation would be followed up to correct existing imbalances and end the state of randomness that prevailed during the previous period in establishing gas pumps in violation of the minimum safety standards. He also stressed holding accountable those negligent in the lives and safety of citizens and ensuring that no similar incidents occur.
The Prime Minister directed the committee to continue supervising the implementation of the recommendations and decisions to be issued, and to take decisive measures to put an end to violations and randomness in the work of gas stations and pumps in Aden and other governorates, and to adopt safety standards as a priority to protect citizens and society from any risks.
