QUEZON CITY – Two persons were rushed to hospital on Monday morning for emergency treatment in the wake of an explosion inside the premises of an oriental-theme restaurant at a shopping mall located at the corner of Del Monte Avenue and Banawe Street.
A review of the closed circuit television surveillance recording showed that the chef and proprietor of the restaurant, allegedly a Hong Kong national, entered the premises, followed a few minutes later by the explosion, which authorities initially attributed to an ignited cooking gas leak.
Glass shards were scattered as a result of the blast, and two persons suffered injuries that required hospitalization.
The chef, identified as Chung Kong Kwan, could be seen in the cctv walking out somewhat dazed.
The cashier was also slightly hurt when a piece of the ceiling board crashed down.
Three other establishments were damaged secondarily by the explosion.
According to Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, the Quezon City Police Director, the initial inspection by fire fighting officials indicated that, for now, that is, the signs point out to the fire being caused by auto-shutoff mechanism in the liquefied petroleum line that malfunctioned, allowing cooking gas to vent out and accumulate in the kitchen.
“While the terrorism angle was theoretically plausible, we are not ready, at this point, to give it due consideration.”
