Sri Lanka to probe dozens of cooking gas explosions

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Sri Lanka to probe dozens of cooking gas explosions

COLOMBO, December 1, Reuters - Sri Lanka's parliament convened a special committee on Wednesday to investigate dozens of unreliable cooking gas explosions and fires in kitchens around the country.

After police and media reports of about 14 explosions in a single day, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed an eight-member committee to investigate and provide a report within two weeks.

Consumer Affairs Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna told the parliament that on average 10 explosions were reported daily.

We accept that more than 40% of Sri Lanka's 5.1 million households are living in fear because of this issue. The businesses are also affected. The government is on the side of consumers and a full report will be presented to the House once investigations are complete, he told parliament on Tuesday.

A McDonald's restaurant in the capital of Colombo was gutted by a gas leak on November 20 because of a gas leak. Since then, several incidents of gas cookers exploding or catching fire have grabbed headlines.

Some consumers have moved cylinders outside or started to cook in their gardens. Videos of do-it- yourself leak tests have flooded social media.

Milinda Premachandra's wife suffered severe burns when her cooker exploded in her small eatery in Colombo.

My wife will never be the same again. My whole life has fallen apart, he said.

The authorities have to do something soon. State-owned Litro gas, which provides more than 80% of Sri Lanka's liquefied petroleum gas cylinders for domestic and commercial use, rejects claims that the explosions are due to a change in the propane and butane mix of cylinders introduced earlier this year.

It blames faulty regulators and dilapidated stoves and has not recalled any cylinders.