Gazprom Refuses to Answer Questions About Ussuriysk House Explosion

PJSC Gazprom has effectively avoided providing explanations regarding the explosion of a private house in Ussuriysk on January 15 that took a person«s life. The editorial office of the online publication VLADIVOSTOK1.RU sent a corresponding request to the gas distribution organization.

The company did not answer any of the key questions related to the ownership of the gas pipeline, a possible gas leak, and work that was carried out on the property of the affected family by people in Gazprom-branded clothing.

Journalists asked for clarification on who owns the gas pipe located several meters from the destroyed house on Vorovskogo Street, what work was carried out there before and after the tragedy, and why the pipeline was partially dismantled without the consent of the property owners.

Even questions about whether the gas pipeline is on Gazprom«s balance sheet, whether it is permissible to place active gas equipment next to a non-gasified house, and whether the pipe was checked in the winter remained unanswered.

The company also did not confirm or deny the version of a gas leak, despite the fact that, according to relatives of the deceased, the family has video recordings with traces of possible gas discharge — frost on the ground in the area of the pipeline.

In an official response from JSC Gazprom Gas Distribution Far East, the company cited the secrecy of the investigation and declined to comment.

«The information and facts you are requesting are the subject of an investigation by the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Primorsky Krai.

Article 161 of the Russian Criminal Procedure Code prohibits the disclosure of information related to the investigation, except when the data of the preliminary investigation are published with the permission of the investigator or interrogator.

A person who discloses information may be held liable under the law. In this regard, no representatives of JSC Gazprom Gas Distribution Far East are authorized to comment on this incident,« the response, signed by the organization»s representatives, states.

The tragedy occurred on the afternoon of January 15. At the moment of the explosion there were two men and a woman in the house. The building was completely destroyed, one of the victims died from the injuries sustained, and two others are in serious condition.

According to the residents, the house was never gasified, they did not conclude any gas supply contracts and consciously refused connection. At the same time, as one of the Emergencies Ministry (EMERCOM) employees reported, the leak could have occurred in a gas water heater installed about three meters from the house.

The investigator confirmed the fact of seizure of a section of the pipe during the investigation, but refused to disclose details. The owner of the destroyed house stated that she did not sign any permits for work on their property — she and her husband are still in the hospital.

All news about this event and the progress of the investigation we have collected in a special story.