Residents of a house destroyed by an explosion complained of two gas leaks just months before a nursing student died in the explosion.
The explosion went off on the second level of a housing commission property on Waikanda Crescent in Whalan, west of Sydney, about 1pm on Saturday.
The body of Mhey Yumol Jasmin, 30, was recovered in the kitchen at around 2.20pm on Monday, after machinery was called to lift heavy debris.
It comes as disclosed tenants complained about the smell of gas twice to the Department of Housing in the last 12 months, most recently in April.
The department says that on both occasions contractors were sent to the home immediately and repaired the broken gas meters.
The body of nurse Mhey Yumol Jasmin, 30, was recovered in the kitchen at around 2.20pm on Monday, after machinery was called to lift heavy debris.
The explosion went off on the second level of a housing commission property on Waikanda Crescent in Whalan, in Sydney’s west, about 1pm on Saturday.
In November, a resident reported smelling gas while the vendor was servicing the property and repairing a broken gas meter.
Five months later, a tenant again reported a gas smell and a maintenance company responded to an “urgent work order.”
Contractors discovered that the gas meter joint had broken and the part was replaced.
NSW Housing Minister Rose Jackson said previous gas leaks were being urgently investigated with the department to check maintenance records.
“I am deeply concerned by accounts from residents who have allegedly raised the issue of gas odors over the past 12 months,” she said.
Homes NSW is currently compiling a list of work applications made for the social housing building over the past five years.
Rescue efforts were hampered after there was a leak at the site following the explosion and investigators were investigating whether a gas leak played a role in the explosion.
Tenants at the home complained about the smell of gas twice to the Department of Housing in the past 12 months, most recently in April (pictured, first responders on site)
The huge explosion was heard several streets away and shattered the windows of neighboring buildings. Five other people were rushed to hospital.
Another 12 people from surrounding homes were evacuated, causing damage to homes and apartment buildings.
Police Superintendent Trent King said most of the tenants involved in the explosion were in state care.
Ms Mhey had been at the property to visit her mother, Mercy, who escaped momentarily and returned to find her building completely destroyed.
The nurse was discovered in the kitchen after cranes were used to remove concrete slabs from the first floor.
Rescuers were then taken to the house in a metal cage and used drills and cameras to look for gaps and air pockets in the rubble.
Search teams discovered Mrs Mhey’s body beneath the rubble.
Detective Superintendent Darren Newman said his mother was “devastated”.
“Obviously we had to convey a message of death,” he said, adding that the scene had been “confronting” and “difficult” for first responders.
Homes NSW is currently compiling a list of work applications made for the social housing building (pictured) over the past five years.
Mhey’s mother closely followed the search efforts from across the street before collapsing when she returned to the house.
“She (the mother) was on her knees screaming for her daughter,” a neighbor said.
“She wouldn’t leave, she sat here in the rain and cold all night saying she wouldn’t leave until her daughter came out.”
Emergency services braved heavy rain and cold and worked through the night on Saturday in a bid to find the woman trapped beneath the rubble.
The house suffered “significant damage” and a neighboring house was also affected.
Whalan resident Kathleen Morris said the sound of the explosion was massive.
“I heard a big bang and the whole house shook, everyone came out of their houses wondering what had happened,” he said.
