MALACCA, Malaysia: Two brothers who converted a cooking gas tank into a natural gas kit for their van paid dearly when it exploded, killing one of them.

Mohd Hailmi Ishak, 25, from Kampung Duyong, and his brother Rosli Ishak, 30, from Taman Tiang Dua, had stopped at a Petronas petrol station in Batu Berendam at about 7.50pm on Friday to refuel.

Their worker Razali Md Zin, 31, was with them.

It is believed that Rosli, the driver, was refilling the van at the natural gas vehicle (NGV) stand while his younger brother was standing nearby when the blast happened.

The explosion shattered the front portion and two doors of the vehicle.

It shattered Mohd Hailmi's left leg and ripped open his abdomen while Rosli and Razali escaped with light injuries.

Mohd Hailmi, a self-employed electrician, was rushed to the Malacca Hospital where he died at about 1.30am yesterday.

When met at the hospital, Mohd Hailmi?s father-in-law Zahmin Ibrahim, 50, said the victim and his daughter Nur Syahirah, 23, had just gotten married in July.

He said his daughter, who is two months' pregnant, was devastated over the tragic death of her husband.

"We refused to allow her to come to the hospital as the loss would be too much for her to bear considering that she is now pregnant," he said.

Mohd Hailmi was buried at the Telok Mas Muslim Cemetery yesterday afternoon.

Razali said the brothers had been using the van for about a month.

It is learnt that the brothers run a family business repairing and dealing in second-hand electrical appliances and travelling to Singapore and Johor in the van.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam wants the police and relevant authorities to determine how a cooking gas tank had been modified for the vehicle.

Mohd Ali, who visited the survivors, urged the authorities to clamp down on those carrying out illegal modification to their vehicles.

Bernama reported yesterday that Petronas Dagangan Bhd, in a statement, said initial investigations indicated the explosion could largely be due to the liquid petroleum cylinder, which had been used as an NGV tank.

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