The management of Empire Shopping Gallery in Subang Jaya, Selangor, which was rocked by an explosion early yesterday, has decided to halt all operations until further notice.

It said the move was made following the advice of the Fire and Rescue Services Department and in the interest of public safety.

NONE"We have taken the decision to halt operations as safety is our highest priority.

"We assure all our tenants that this decision has been made after carefully considering all factors and advice from the authorities," said Empire Shopping Gallery’s general manager May Woo in a statement in Kuala Lumpur today.

Woo said tight security had been implemented around the premises and urged all affected parties to contact the hotline at 018 70 12 880 should they require information.

Alternatively, the public can get updates through the website (www.esg.com.my), Facebook (www.facebook/esg.com.my) and Twitter (Empire SHGallery.com).

An explosion rocked the shopping mall at about 3am yesterday, believed to be caused by a gas leak at one of the outlets on the lower ground floor of the shopping mall.

- Bernama