TWENTY-FOUR victims of Tuesday’s explosion at a yet-to-be-opened restaurant in a Kuching mall remain in hospital, with three still listed as in a critical but stable condition.

Two of them are in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) and one in the neuro intensive care unit, according to the latest medical update by the state Health Department today.

State health director Dr Jamilah Hashim said of the 20 warded at SGH, seven are being treated for burns, four in the urology ward, and five recovering from fractures in the male (four) and female orthopaedic wards. The fractures are from reportedly are from falling metal beams and a collapsed kitchen wall that killed three people.

Two other victims continue to be treated for their burns at the Borneo Medical Centre (BMC).

Dr Jamilah said all the victims are in stable condition.

The three who were killed in the 3.30pm explosion, suspected to be from a liquefied petroleum gas leak, were Nene Chicken employees Chin Hsien Loong of Penang, and Tchee Kiam Jong of Kuching; and renovation contractor worker O Kui Lim, also of Kuching.

They were testing equipment in the kitchen when the explosion caused a concrete wall to collapse on them.

Three other people were pulled out alive from under the concrete debris.

Forty-one people were injured in the explosion and were admitted to three hospitals in the city.

Nine were admitted in critical condition. – December 8, 2018.