SHAH ALAM, April 5 — Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari today said his remarks about an excavator being buried at the site of the gas pipeline explosion in Putra Heights were twisted by critics of the state government.

"Certain quarters are trying to question my position based on the statement I issued on the first day of Hari Raya,” he told a press conference here.

"I want to say my statement was misconstrued by them because what I said was based on my conversation with the Selangor police chief. We had anticipated that there are excavators buried at the site,” he said.

"That’s what the CPO (chief police officer) said and what I conveyed to the public. So if you have any information, come forward — we have to find where this excavator is.”

The controversy likely stemmed from Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari’s initial statement that no excavators were found during his first visit to the site of the gas pipeline explosion in Putra Heights — a remark that some PAS opposition leaders interpreted as him denying that the blast was caused by nearby construction activities.

Amirudin has since dismissed the allegation, clarifying that he merely stated there was no visible heavy machinery during his early inspection and urged the public not to jump to conclusions.

Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan confirmed yesterday at a press conference that investigators had discovered an excavator buried at the site, likely due to the massive crater caused by the explosion.

"So the issue of me denying there was any activity doesn’t arise, nor am I protecting anyone. I couldn’t preempt the investigation by saying an excavator was there — what I said was, if there is one, we need to find it,” Amirudin said today.

Police had earlier confirmed that excavation work had taken place approximately 30 metres from the site of the blast, which caused a major fire and left over 100 people injured.

However, Hussein said investigations are still ongoing to determine whether the excavation work triggered the explosion.

Amirudin added that the investigation is "nearing its conclusion” and pledged transparency once the findings are finalised.

"My instruction was clear — we want a thorough investigation, and we will ensure accountability for those found responsible,” he said.