Need for stricter guidelines, says minister
GEORGE TOWN: Stricter guidelines need to be enforced to prevent a recurrence of the balloon explosion that injured 31 people in Kuala Terengganu on Friday, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam.
He said there was a need to look into stricter control on the use of gas-filled balloons and agencies should discuss the matter.
“Since the use of gas-filled balloons is widespread, some people tend to overlook safety precautions.
“This incident forces us to seriously look into whether we need to have stricter control on its use and how to ensure that such an incident does not happen again.
“On our (the ministry’s) side, even if we do use it (balloons), we will probably have to enforce stricter guidelines to ensure such an incident does not recur,” he said before meeting state MIC leaders here yesterday.
The explosion was not the first in Terengganu.
Last year, there were two cases involving exploding balloons, which were allegedly filled with helium.
One case in Kemaman saw a 10year-old girl sustain burns to the face and hands after balloons she held exploded at a carnival.
The other case in Dungun saw a 3year-old girl sustain serious injuries to the face after a balloon her mother bought from a night market exploded.