By Wang Jiaqi
Edited by Su Ling
(The door was sealed after the accident. Source: photo Wang Jiaqi)
SRI PETALING, 18 Apr - In the early morning of April 18, the Chinese restaurant Da Tang Wei Dao suddenly exploded with an electric spark, the glass on the windows at the entrance has broken and the inside has been charred and blackened. And the wet patches on the ground also indicated the presence of firefighters who responded to the blaze.
(Pictures of the scene after the accident. Source: photo Xiaohongshu)
Da Tang Wei Dao is a Chinese specialty restaurant that combines Northeast, Sichuan and Hunan cuisines, and with an iron pot stew as its specialty and signature. Because of its unique and delicious Chinese taste, it has attracted a large number of Chinese students and is deeply liked by them. So this explosion also made many Chinese students feel shocked and sorry.
Gong Junhan, the head of Da Tang Wei Dao, said in a statement on social media that the accident was mainly caused by a short circuit of the CCTV circuit, and there were no explosive substances. The explosion occurred only in the area of the front desk bar, causing damage to some equipment and appliances, and the rest of the area was only exposed to smoke.
He added that because the accident happened in the early morning, not business hours, so there were no casualties, and other nearby stores were not affected by the accident.
The Nadi Bangi journalist Wang Jiaqi interviewed three loyal student customers of Da Tang Wei Dao.
Zhang Huale, a UKM undergraduate majoring in business administration said, "I feel very sorry for this accident, because I like Da Tang Wei Dao’s food very much, especially the iron pot stew, and I won't be able to eat for a while after this accident, so I'm sorry.”
She added that at the same time, the explosion accident also made her feel a little bit scared and worried, which made her a little worried about the safety issues in the future.
Bai Xinran, an undergraduate student majoring in economics at UKM said that she hoped that Da Tang Wei Dao could take the accident seriously, because she had smelled the smell of gas leakage when she ate here before, and hoped that Da Tang Wei Dao could pay more attention to some safety risks through this accident.
“I experienced a gas leak when I went to Da Tang Wei Dao for dinner last month. It was the table next to me that had a gas leak while they were eating iron pot stew,” said Jiang Hao, an undergraduate accounting major at UKM.
He added that it was lucky no open fire was created at that time, because it happened to be the peak dining time when a lot of people were in restaurant, otherwise there would have definitely caused a lot of injuries.
“I'm scared to think about it now,” he said.
The head of Da Tang Wei Dao Gong Junhan also responded that this accident was not due to the gas problem, but the circuit problem. The conclusion given by the firefighters was also an electrical spark explosion.
“However, we will also treat the gas leakage situation that customers have reported before, and check and improve it more,” Junhan said.
(Source: photo Xiaohongshu)
At present, Da Tang Wei Dao is still undergoing emergency maintenance and safety inspections, and is working to ensure that all equipment and electrical circuits are safe and reliable. Once it is safe to do so the restaurant will reopen and continue to bring the delicious Chinese iron pot stew to customers.
The management team of Da Tang Wei Dao also said that they will do their best to ensure the safety of the restaurant and resume normal business as soon as possible, which is expected to reopen in the middle of May.
Some student customers also expressed their support and understanding of the restaurant, and looked forward to tasting the delicious Chinese iron pot stew again.
At the same time, this accident also shows the importance of safety awareness and equipment maintenance, not only restaurants, including all kinds of stores, operators should always pay attention to the safety hazards of the store, to regularly overhaul various equipment to ensure the safety of customers.
