KUALA LUMPUR: A lawyer, representing the victims of the 1991 Bright Sparklers Fireworks Factory explosion in Sungai Buloh is attempting to trace the last of the 18 plaintiffs involved in order to pay them their dues.
The advocate, Jessica Binwani, had put up classified advertisements, listing the names and identification numbers of those affected in several newspapers, including the New Straits Times.
She said the people in question or their next of kin were being sought to disburse the settlements, which stemmed from multiple suits that revolved the headline grabbing incident.
A total of 118 people had sued the government, the Selangor Land and Mines Department and the Petaling District Council and two directors of the company in multiple suits.
The government made an out of court settlement of RM954,685 in 2006.
One director also paid them a lump sum of RM30,000 despite Bright Sparklers Sdn Bhd going out of business soon after.
It was reported that the global payment by the director of Selangor Land and Mines Department, the Petaling District Council and the Government of Malaysia — the second, third and fourth defendants, respectively — was made without admitting liability and as full and final payment for general and special damages and interest.
The incident on May 7, 1991 had caused the death of 26 people and injured more than 100 others. It was deemed one of the nation’s worst industrial disasters.
The explosion had ripped the roofs of some local houses in Kampung Baru Sungai Buloh and damaged more than 200 residential properties.
It had been triggered by explosive chemicals spilt during an experiment in the canteen of the facility.