FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 17, 1997 SB 97-11
6789A
NTSB SCHEDULES JUNE INQUIRY INTO
LAST YEAR'S FATAL SAN JUAN EXPLOSION
Washington, D.C. - The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will
hold a four-day inquiry in San Juan in early June as part of its ongoing
investigation into the fatal explosion that took 33 lives last year.
The inquiry begins at 9 a.m., Monday, June 2 and runs through Thursday,
June 5. It will focus on numerous safety issues raised by the explosion
and will be chaired by NTSB Board Member John Hammerschmidt. It will be
held in the ballroom of the Embassy Suites Hotel, 8000 Tartak St., Carolina,
Puerto Rico.
"The NTSB will endeavor to find out why this tragedy happened and
do our best to make sure it does not happen again," said Hammerschmidt,
a 12-year veteran of the Safety Board. "As the investigation progressed,
we were disturbed to find that many people did not understand the dangers
of gas, did not know the potential danger when they smelled leaking gas
and did not report it to emergency authorities or the gas company."
On November 21, 1996, an explosion occurred in the Humberto Vidal shoe
store and office building in San Juan, killing 33 people. A six-story building
was destroyed and nearby buildings were destroyed or damaged.
After an NTSB "go team" arrived on the scene, investigators
tested the subsurface in the vicinity of the destroyed and damaged buildings.
Laboratory analyses confirmed the presence of propane, a heavier-than-air
gas, in the subsurface of three locations.
When the Safety Board excavated pipes at the suspected leak locations,
it found a damaged and leaking plastic gas line beneath Calle Camelia Soto
and a damaged and leaking steel gas service line beneath Calle Arzuaga.
These two streets are immediately west and south of the Humberto Vidal
building.
Hammerschmidt said the inquiry will focus on several issues, including the adequacy of:
The parties, which are currently assisting in the investigation, are:
the federal DOT Office of Pipeline Safety; the government of Puerto Rico;
Humberto Vidal, Inc.; Dupont, Inc.; the contracting firm of Bermudez &
Longo; and San Juan Gas Company.
The NTSB is an independent federal agency that recently marked its 30th
anniversary. It has been directed by Congress to determine the probable
cause of transportation accidents and to make recommendations to improve
safety.
The NTSB's findings, contained in a published report, will be adopted
at a public meeting several months after the June public hearing. The Safety
Board issued a series of safety recommendations in February as a result
of its ongoing investigation and may issue additional recommendations before
its final report.
Media Contact: Pat Cariseo (202) 314-6100
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